Thesaurus
by XAnimexBlossomX
Summary: Now that Mirajane has successfully coupled Natsu and Lucy, she's got her eyes on the iron dragon slayer and a petite blue-haired bookworm. But on the mission she's sending them on this time, danger is around every corner. Can these two track down a dark guild and learn some new things along the way? GaLe/NaLu Sequel to Dictionary.
1. Brute

**A/N: This story is Thesaurus, the sequel to Dictionary. This will focus on GaLe, but may include hints of other pairings as well. You do not have to have read Dictionary to completely understand this work, but I highly suggest you read that one first. Natsu and Lucy are together, and Lucy is a target of another guild, for unknown reasons. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, it belongs to the talented Hiro Mashima.**

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**Thesaurus**

**Chapter 1: Brute**

Mirajane walked into the Master's office, trying to make her movements quiet as she firmly closed the door behind her. "You wanted to speak with me?" She asked politely. Her curiosity was raging. "Yes, have a seat Mira-chan…" something seemed to be troubling the Master, as his grey eyes did not gleam as they usually did.

"I'd like to hear your thoughts on something; it's been three months, but I'm still unsettled. Who do you think we should send to investigate Shadow Claw?" Shadow Claw was a dark guild that followed the Balam Alliance. On a previous mission, they had targeted Lucy for unknown reasons. Natsu had brought the matter to Makarov's attention when the pink-haired boy had told him how uneasy and anxious it was starting to make him feel. The fire dragon slayer didn't want them coming after his girlfriend at all.

"I'm surprised you've waited so long on this," Mirajane said carefully. "But I believe I have the perfect candidates for this mission." She rattled the three names off and waited for a response. "Well…I believe those are acceptable choices. Explain why you'd pair up those three, please?" There wasn't really a problem with those mages, but still. He wanted to hear the barmaid's opinion on this.

"A mission like this will require strength, stealth, intelligence, and teamwork. You've got strength in both Gajeel, the brute, and Pantherlily. Lily will also help in the stealth factor. Intelligence is obviously Levy's area of expertise, and altogether I think they'd make a good team." Her blue eyes shone with happiness: Even if it was serious business, this was still an opportunity to be a matchmaker.

Once business was finished being discussed, Mira chatted idly with the Master, and then bid her goodbye's to go work the bar. Fairy Tail was as crazy as ever when she strolled out the door, and she couldn't help but smile at the normalcy. She got to work.

The barmaid hummed as she passed tankards to her Nakama, her mood increasing as she slid a glass to the brute of an iron dragon slayer at the end of the bar. He sat on his stool next to his trusted Exceed, Pantherlily. The former shot Mira a wary look before taking a sip of his drink.

A few seats from the iron mage sat a very happy and fairy recent couple: Natsu and Lucy. Of course, Happy was next to them too. Ever since they'd returned from Clover, they'd been closer than ever. Neither of the two was overly affectionate in public, but Mira saw the little gestures they made towards each other that made her blissful and proud. It could be Natsu brushing a strand of hair away from Lucy's face, or the duo taking missions where it was just the two of them.

Yes, the former S-class mage had been very successful in her matchmaking, but now she had her sights set on an unsuspecting bookworm and an all too suspicious iron dragon. They may have had a rocky start to say in the least, but there were surefire signs that they had feelings for each other.

Speaking of the bookworm, in walked Levy, struggling with an overloaded satchel full of books. She dragged her load over to a nearby table and sighed triumphantly. Jet and Droy strode behind her, both of them a little frustrated that Levy wouldn't let them help with her load.

Mirajane called her over with a 'hey' and she came over, smiling brightly. "Good Morning Mira-chan! What do you need?" Short, sweet and straight to the point was a description that perfectly fit Levy. And she was pretty oblivious, as she didn't notice how Gajeel had let his eyes drift to her person as soon as he'd heard her cheery voice.

"Well, I think the Master will need you in his office soon, so stick around for a bit. He's got a mission for you," Mira smiled. _'You and someone else…'_ After Levy had agreed to stay at the guild for a while, they chatted about odds and ends. Then she went back to her table.

Mirajane slid a small cup of kiwi juice to Lily and repeated the message she'd told Levy. "That goes for you _and_ Gajeel." The black Exceed nodded and discreetly sipped his juice. He loved kiwis…not that anyone needed to know that any more than they needed to know of his fear of storms.

"Oh, I'm ready for you brats now!" The master crowed from his door. Levy stood and made for the door, only to almost trip over Gajeel as he, too, went for the office. Lily hovered above the pair, realizing what was probably going on. _'That barmaid is a sneaky one.'_

"What are ya doing, shrimp?" Gajeel asked her gruffly. He was trying to cover up the fact that he was starting to panic. Natsu and Lucy had become a couple due to one of Mira's scheme. That he was being paired up with the midget for a mission might just spell trouble. At least if this was going to happen, he'd get to take his cat along this time.

"I'm going to speak with the master…are you going too?" She blinked up at him with large doe eyes and he stared at them for what seemed like an eternity before answering her with a noncommittal 'yeah'. Now that they had somewhat of a mutual understanding, they both shoved their way inside.

"Have a seat," their old man said, taking a breath as if to prepare his next words. "I've chosen you three to go on a very important mission. It's going to help out the guild very much. Do you have any qualms about working together?" A trio of headshakes met his question, so he continued with his speech of sorts.

"Gajeel, Levy, you are both aware of what happened in Clover. Lily, I assume Gajeel has told you, correct?" Lily nodded and crossed his little arms. "Alright. Shadow Claw. As you know, they are after Lucy for whatever reason. We don't want to take the chance that they will strike before we will, so your mission pertains to that."

"How so, Master? What are you going to have us do?" Levy spoke up. She was still shaken about being attacked in that alley with Lucy a few months ago. To have such an unfair fight staged had taken her unaware and could have cost the guild Lucy. Unthinkable.

"Well," a stroke of his silver moustache, "I'm sending you three by train to a small town called Valletta, near Haregon. I have intelligence that Shadow Claw's base is set up in the forest around that area. I want you to find out all that you can about what they want with Lucy." A heavy sigh escaped from his mouth and the master's shoulders slouched. "I may have a friend who runs the town hall that can help you get started. I'd like you to leave around 3 o' clock tomorrow afternoon."

Gajeel shot a side glance at the shrimp, who'd nodded resolutely at Makarov. She sure had a lot of determination for a such a small body. He felt Lily nudge his arm, and grunted. "What?" He nodded his head at the master, who was still waiting for confirmation from Gajeel. "Oh, yeah, whatever."

The iron dragon slayer practically ran out of the guild when he was given permission to go by the old man. He had to pack and think about some things. Some very significant, troubling things. He reached his dingy apartment on the other side of town and threw a spare change of clothes in a duffel bag. He also poked around for pieces of iron to throw in the bag. There was no such thing as too much food for the road.

Now Gajeel began to think. Actually think. He may have been a big, hulking brute, but he was still capable of sorting through the problems life had to offer in his mind. _'I'm going on a mission with Levy. The little one _I_ hurt, who _I_ humiliated. I can't mess this up. She knows that I have changed. The only thing I can do now is get her to believe I have changed even further.'_ Gajeel rolled his shoulders and slung the duffel on to his shoulder. "Lily," he called. "Ya ready to go?"

Meanwhile, a blunette trudged on the path to Fairy Hills. She had to pack, and then she'd see what information she could find on the little town of Valletta. Come to think of it, she'd never heard the name Valletta before. She would've racked her capable mind further, but she'd arrived at her door.

In her apartment, she carefully selected the books that could be useful and then packed them in her suitcase. On top of those, she just had enough room for her clothes and other necessities. Levy dragged the luggage over to the door and then went back for a map.

"Haregon is right here," she said to herself. Shining brown eyes scanned the area, but became more and more confused as the time ticked away. There was no town called Valletta. "Maybe it's an outdated map?" Oh, well. She could always look at a different map later. Now it was time to eat!

At the bottom of Levy's suitcase, a book rested lightly against another. It was called a Thesaurus. And it was going to teach Gajeel some new vocabulary…

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**A/N: Hey! Sorry that it took me a while to get this out. I've been busy with sports and school. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and thank you to those who helped Dictionary reach 200 reviews! I've never been so elated. Normally review replies would go right below, but this is only the first chapter out of many, so… *shrugs***

**Review, or I'll Juvia you are all pining for Gray's affections… * waggles eyebrows* If you don't review, you'd better hope you can outrun Juvia's wrath!**


	2. Preparations

**A/N: Hey minna! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I am going to make Thesaurus as awesome as I can, but that'll take at least I little bit of encouragement from you guys! :D On a random note, Mulan is totally awesome. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, obviously.**

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**Thesaurus**

**Chapter 2: Preparation **

Levy woke the next morning to an insistent pounding on her door. She rolled over and used the pillow to block some of the sound. Nearly three minutes of continuous knocking ensued before the bookworm finally rolled out of bed, pulled a robe on, and yanked open the door.

"What?" She growled. A little known fact about Miss McGarden is that she is not, and never has been, a morning person. If it was still before nine, she'd rather be asleep in bed. If she'd known who'd been outside waiting for her, she probably would've gotten out of bed sooner.

There stood Evergreen, hands on hips, in a green nightgown that really didn't cover all that much. It's truly a good thing that Fairy Hills is men proof. "Oh…it's you," not that seeing who it was made Levy any happier. Waking up to the only female member of the Thunder God tribe was like being jolted out of bed by a strike of lightning.

"Master called on me to remind you about your mission," the older woman sniffed. Her pompous attitude left a lot to be desired. "You should be at the train station before three, little girl." Levy resisted the urge to cover her chest with one arm and use the other to slap the rude woman. Instead, she nodded, waiting for the other Fairy Tail female to disappear before she slammed her door.

"Mou! I'm already packed! Why'd the master send her to wake me up so early?" A glance at the clock revealed it was 8:30, and the blunette was sorely tempted to go back to bed. "An hour or two won't hurt," she mumbled to herself, walking slowly towards her bed.

When she lied down, she suddenly remembered the previous night. _'Oh! I still have to find some information on Valletta!"_ Valletta was the little town where she, Gajeel, and Pantherlily were going to go in order to take down Shadow Claw.

"I wonder how dangerous it'll be," Levy said aloud, double checking everything that she'd packed. She pulled out a thick book that was wedged between a novel and her hairbrush. It was a Thesaurus. "Ah! This could be entertaining on the train. Maybe if I used this, I could power up my Solid Script!" Even if it was only a theory, the possibility of using strong words was enthralling. She stowed the book in the small satchel she was planning to take as carry-on.

After Levy was positive that she couldn't be any more prepared than she already was, she slid out of her pajamas and into a pair of shorts and a solid orange t-shirt. She carefully pushed back her hair and put her favorite yellow bandana in place. Now the only thing she had to do was search for anything on Valletta.

The solid script mage weaved through stacks of books until she reached a towering shelf by her window. This was a shelf of all the reference books she'd gathered over the years. There were more than just this shelf, of course, but those were scattered elsewhere in her apartment. The volume she pulled out first was a dusty, leather-bound thing with 'Encyclopedia' scrawled on the cover.

"Valletta," she hummed as she flipped through the book. What would the town be like? If it were small, she could sadly imagine Gajeel accidently destroying half, or all, of it. Who knew what facing off against Shadow Claw would be like? Levy shivered. She'd been hurt by two of those dark mages, and Gajeel had saved her. Would things go the same this time around?

Half an hour later, Levy sat in the middle of a large pile of books. She'd found nothing on Valletta. _Nothing._ There were no more books left to search. "What the heck!" She yelled, tugging on the ends of her blue hair. How could there be nothing on a town so close to Haregon, one of the main ports of Fiore?

'_Is this something I should ask the Master about?'_ She wondered. Maybe since he was the one who'd disclosed the information, he would know something about the place the various books she'd checked hadn't even mentioned. _'Worth a try.' _

She grabbed her luggage and other bag and locked the door behind her. Levy then took off for the guild. Her sandal clad feet padded against the pavement. It was nearly noon, and her stomach grumbled faintly. Ah, well. She'd grab something that Mirajane had cooked later.

The short bookworm strode into the guild and left her things on a table near the door; no sense in dragging those things to meet Makarov. Plus, they were _heavy._ It was probably all of those books jammed in the bottom. She tended to over pack when it came to bringing along resourceful reading material.

The barmaid caught Levy's eye and smiled warmly at her as she came over. "Good morning! Did Evergreen give you the message?" Levy's brow creased as she recalled her rather rude awakening that morning. "She probably wasn't very polite, ne?"

"No, she wasn't. But it was nice of her to remind me," Levy replied, and gratefully took the breakfast plate Mira offered. The faint tummy rumblings she'd had earlier had turned into a full on hungry roar. The plate looked very inviting; a pancake, scrambled eggs, and half a sausage. Mirajane knew her so well.

She dug in while Mirajane talked to her in low tones, "so, Natsu and Lucy just left a while ago on a mission." She began, smiling. "It was an escort mission, I believe. That should keep those two occupied. I hope the client doesn't mind how lovey-dovey those two get now and then." A wink after she said those words. It was what she said next that had Levy spewing bits of egg out of her mouth in surprise.

"I wonder what you and Gajeel would act like as a couple." It was said lightly by the white-haired woman, but to Levy, that sentence weighed a thousand pounds. It was crushing her mind. Visions of her and Gajeel on missions evaded her thoughts, and she began to blush redder than a tomato.

"NO!" Levy suddenly denied. "T-that's not, I don't –" Mira only chuckled as the flustered girl attempted to explain herself. "I think you were here to speak to the Master, right? He's free now, so you should go while you have the chance!"

The bookworm sprang from her seat and speed-walked to the office door. Little did she know that Gajeel and Lily had also gotten up to speak to the Master, and so BAM! The three collided on their common course.

"HEY! Watch it, runt." Gajeel would've added more, but his eyes finally saw her and registered who she was. "O-Oi, I mean…um…" His face was steadily turning red as he realized Levy was partially draped over his legs, and a squeak came from her as she realized it as well.

"What he meant to say," the forgotten Pantherlily chuckled. "Is that he apologizes for knocking you over. We're here to speak to Makarov, also." The black exceed prided himself in being more gentlemanly than his partner could ever really be.

"Oh! What are you going to see him for?" Levy had recovered from the wipe-out, and was sitting next to Gajeel instead of practically on top of him. Her face was now a slim shade of pink, though the iron mage's was still blazing red.

"We were going to ask if he could disclose some more information to us about the mission. Would you like to come in with us?" Levy answered with a smile and a 'sure' and they both roused Gajeel out of his shocked state. They then entered the office.

"Oho!" Makarov greeted them. He was in a much better mood then he'd been in yesterday, and it showed in his smile. "What can I do for you brats?" The 'brats' in question made themselves comfortable on the couch in front of his desk.

"I was wondering why I couldn't find any information on Valletta. Also, do you know anything about it?" Levy spoke first. The old man chuckled; of course Levy had tried to gain knowledge on where they'd be going.

"Well, it is a fairly new settlement. And it isn't very big, which is why your train will be to Haregon. Do you three think you can walk to Valletta from there? It isn't very far…" Tch. He was always trying to save money.

"Okay…That's kind of strange. Gajeel and I were wondering what exactly we'll be doing once we reach the town." Lily's gruff voice asked. He was wedged in between Levy and Gajeel, and was pretty uncomfortable.

"I mentioned something about an old friend earlier, I think. I gave them a call; they'll meet you at town hall later today. Sadly, that's also where you'll be lodging. I'm afraid Valletta lacks an inn." The trio thought it was odd that Makarov didn't mention a gender of the person that would be meeting them.

"Oh, well. Look at the time!" He pointed to an old clock hanging behind him, "One thirty! Better make sure your train tickets are ready and that I've got you guys a path to take from Haregon!" The short elderly man shoved the three out of his office, and slammed the door.

"Well," Gajeel spoke at last. "That was different."

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**A/N: And, complete. Tough times lately with me watching creepy movies, (How will I get over all three paranormal activities and The Ring?) But thank you all for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I'd love to see more reviews, onegai? **

**REVIEW REPLIES:**

**Sakuramcgarden: Thank you. I am glad you enjoy! And here is your update.**

**SarahSpaztastic: ^_^ Arigato! There will be surprises galore, don't you worry! ;) Thanks, and I will. And also, thank you for your wonderful PM's that gave me the boost I needed to keep writing. ;)**

**Levy Gardenia Mcgarden: :D Aw…thank you very much. Such kind words!**

**MsSlicingClaws: ^_^ Aw…thank you for saying that. I sure hope you are enjoying those daydreams! I'm really excited that you wanted to check this out, and that you've read and reviewed Dictionary, too. I cannot wait for you to update, even though you just did. :P Never too much writing of yours to read!**

**Review, or I will tell Gajeel you're hoarding iron at your house. Prepare for a hungry Gajeel…XD **


	3. Valletta

**A/N: I'm here with another installment of Thesaurus! Read on, and please drop a review afterwards. I'd really appreciate it! (Also, I had a long weekend with a basketball tourney. 6 games, and my team won them all. Victory really makes me feel amazing!) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, if anything, it totally owns me. :P **

**Thesaurus**

**Chapter 3: Valletta**

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When Levy pushed the door to the Master's office open, it creaked. It creaked like a door in a horror movie, one in which the heroine would certainly end up dead. Or maybe because her brain was in muddles from when she'd fallen on Gajeel, Levy was starting to exaggerate things in her mind.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. They had to ask Makarov about their mission, and Valletta, the strange town that none of the bookworm's books seemed to know about. Maybe it was a recent settlement or something.

"Hello, brats!" The old man chortled, breaking Levy out of her troubled thoughts. "So, what brings you here? You do have to leave for that mission, you know." True, they would have to leave soon. Their train took off for Haregon at 3 o' clock, and it was already almost one-thirty. It was a good thing everything was packed up and ready to go, then!

"Well," Levy began, seeing as no one else in the room was offering anything. "We were wondering if you could give us any information on the mission, or maybe Valletta. There was nothing about that town in any of my resource books, and, well, naturally I'm curious."

"Hm…Let me think for a minute. You already know Valletta is located near the port town of Haregon, and Mirajane has the map that will show the way from there; you probably want to grab that from her before you go." So far he hadn't offered any information that the trio could actually use. Did he actually know anything, or was he stalling?

"I've heard that Valletta is a poor community," Pantherlily stated. "And also that it was a few neighborhoods, a town hall, businesses, and a whole lot of forest." Makarov turned his attention to the Exceed, dumbfounded.

"How did you come across this information?" He asked, incredulous. Honestly, he was planning to offer them a bit about how the town had a beautiful landscape, and that it wasn't too large. That was about all he knew.

"Well, master, I have been keeping contact with the Exceeds and the queen. I asked someone to scout last night and they agreed. I got a note this morning that talked about all of…that. There was nothing else overly remarkable." Lily explained, trying not to laugh at the odd look on Gajeel's face. His partner had been gathering helpful info right under his dragon slayer nose!

Levy, also, was astounded. _'Maybe books aren't always the best resource to use!' _People could be valuable in learning, too! That could bring about some fun in the near future. But she'd never had very good people skills, probably because she had her nose stuck in a book all the time.

"I think that answers the Shrimp's," a finger stab in her direction. "…Question, but I've got a few." Gajeel barged into the conversation, talking only now for the first time. He didn't notice the glare Levy had sent in his direction for calling her a name. Maybe she'd use that Thesaurus to teach him some polite ways to call her short.

"Did the barmaid put you up to this?" Asked an irritated iron dragon slayer. Makarov shook his head in response. "Why us three?" His next question was one the old man had known was coming. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

"This is a mission that requires certain abilities. To glean information from Shadow Claw, you're going to need stealth, strength and intelligence. Gajeel, you obviously make up the strength factor of the equation, as does Lily. Plus Gajeel, you've had experience in stealth…" Here he was referring to the man's work as a double-agent in infiltrating Raven Tail and finding out important plans while still keeping up a front. "And dear Levy, of course, makes up the intelligence. You two are going to bring her back safe and sound, as well as being careful yourselves. Can't have my children being bludgeoned to half-death while away on business."

"That sure was a breathy explanation…" Levy mumbled to herself. "But I'm okay with it! That makes sense, master. We will meet you at the train station at three!" She grabbed Gajeel's hand, somehow missing the way his face turned into a tomato, and snatched Lily with her other arm, and was out the door.

"Phew! I wanted us to get out of there. Wasn't sure how many more of his 'answers' I could take. Geez, he was _really_ vague." Gajeel, who was just recovering from his blush attack, had no clue what she was saying. But that didn't matter, because as she babbled away to him and his partner, he had the ideal view of her adorable features.

Those huge honey eyes that always had that weird twinkle, that airy happiness, in them. Her nose was _so_ tiny. And her mouth was perfect as she babbled on. And her hair cascaded around her small face, making it look like she was peeking out of a waterfall or something. Not to mention – What the heck was he thinking!? All that blood must've rushed to his head, because he'd just been so unbearably mushy!

"Gajeel? I was asking if you'd eaten lunch yet. I haven't, so would you like to grab something to eat with me? Lily, that goes for you too!" Her voice was no less mesmerizing than her face, but the iron lug managed to focus for a second.

"Uh, yeah, sure," he mumbled. It was a half-hearted response, even though inside he was happy that she'd chosen him over her two stalkers, ahem, teammates that followed her around like lost, annoying puppies. "So this means I'll be joining you," Lily told the blue-haired girl while Gajeel enthused about being the 'chosen one' in his head.

Since Gajeel was obviously not paying attention, Levy and Pantherlily struck up conversation as they walked down the sidewalk, looking for a place to eat. They all carried their bags with them, because after the late lunch, they planned to walk to the train station.

"Are you looking forward to the mission?" Levy asked the Exceed. She really had taken a liking to him; he was much more pleasant mannered than his partner, and really behaved like a gentleman, in her opinion.

"Sure," he replied, scanning the signs along the sidewalk that advertised everything from clothes, to pets, to kitchenware. It was bustling with activity, which meant that he had to ride on the iron dragon slayer's shoulder so he wouldn't be trampled by shoppers. "I don't know what to expect, really."

Levy smiled at him and dodged an overly large man that reminded her of Droy. "Either do I, but I'm sure everything will turn out just fine. Ooh! There's one, how about that one!" She was enthusiastically waving towards a small café where she'd gone with Mira and the other girls before. She remembered that they had a special kiwi drink that Lily would certainly order.

"That seems fine," Said cat murmured, looking over the small place. He could almost feel the kiwis waiting for him. And maybe they'd have some tasty silverware for Gajeel to gnaw on. His name did mean something about 'gnawing' or whatever.

They went into the place, Gajeel still not really paying attention to anything, even when they were seated by a waiter and given menus. Levy had to ask him several times what he wanted before he snapped out of it.

"Oh, um, I don't know. Iron?" His answer was frowned upon by the little script mage, who'd rather have him order normal food when it was available for them. "How about a sandwich or something? I like ham, cheese, and mayo. At least, I liked it when Lily made it…"

The waiter took their orders and disappeared after giving them their drinks. Levy had tea, Gajeel had ordered water, and Lily was immensely enjoying the kiwi drink he'd gotten. There were stars in his eyes as he guzzled it.

"So," The bookworm muttered. "We haven't heard from you yet. How's your outlook on the mission?" The dragon slayer slouched down further into the booth and took a sip of his water. If only they'd served alcohol here…

"Humph," He set his glass down and turned his gaze away from Levy's too-adorable face. "I hope I'll get to beat some idiots up, and then just go home. Easy." His answer saddened the blue haired girl sitting across from him, even though he'd been expecting an answer somewhat like the one he'd given.

"Okay. Well, it's almost 2 o' clock! What are you two planning to do to pass the time?" She was back to being bubbly, and unbearably cute, in Gajeel's opinion. Darn those eyes, those huge sparkly eyes.

"I think we'd like to stick with you," His cat spoke up before Gajeel had fully processed her question, looking rather smug. "If that's okay with you. Also, before 3, we should get our things. I know Gajeel and I left our bags at the guild." Levy nodded and smiled at both of them.

The waiter came around a couple of minutes later to collect payment, and before Gajeel knew it, he'd pulled out a wad of jewels from his pocket to pay the tab. It was almost…courteous. Who knew he had it in him to do something so kind? Lily was proud of him for stepping up to be a man, and Levy certainly was pleasantly surprised.

They left after Lily had gotten a smaller cup of the kiwi drink to take home, courtesy of the thoughtful waiter that had a cat fetish, and set off to pick up their things from the guild. From there, they still would have an hour to blow…Who knew how they'd spend it?

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**A/N: Done. I hope you all enjoyed it immensely. I laughed as I wrote some of this, such as the parts where Gajeel was happy about being the 'top dog' over Jet and Droy. I can actually picture that, hilarious! And I'm sorry for the wait. Life is busy…**

**REVIEW REPLIES: **

**MsSlicingClaws: Thank you! Haha…Now I feel guilty for abusing the poor awesome bookworm, but the show must go on! :P and thank you again. ^.^ I adore Mulan, because there is a really great storyline as opposed to some other Disney classics. (Plus she's the only heroine that actually does anything! Go kick-butt female leads!) Ugh, I know what you mean. No more horror movies for me…EVER!**

**1fairytaillover: Hee hee, very suspicious. I'm trying to set the mood…**

**Taria Robotnik: Thank you for reading! Dictionary is something I'm really proud of. Also, thanks for giving this story a chance as well. I'm very pleased that you enjoyed the past chapter. Here is your long awaited update! (Also, your name suggests you are a Sonic fan. I am as well! ^.^)**

**Does anyone know any awesome books to read? I'm dry on reading material. :( **

**Review or I will tell Happy that you are a contender for Charla and you're trying to be her valentine! Prepare for an angry Happy…XD **


	4. The Book

**A/N: I don't think I have mentioned this yet, but this story line takes place after Tenrou and before the Grand Magic Games. If you have read Dictionary, you probably already knew this. Also, thank you to all who follow, favorite, and especially those who review. **

**Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue, and I don't own Fairy Tail, even though I really want to. Satisfied, lawyers?**

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**Thesaurus**

**Chapter 4: The Book**

The hour Gajeel, Levy, and Pantherlily had to spend before they boarded a train was a complete disaster. They'd picked up their things from the guild, said good-bye to their friends, and then they'd left. Oddly enough, neither Jet nor Droy had been seen that entire time. Who knows what they'd been doing?

Gajeel hadn't cared a bit that Levy's 'lapdogs' hadn't come to see her off, and had proclaimed so loudly in the street just outside the guild's doors. "Who needs stalkers like them anyways?" He'd gotten a disapproving look from Lily and a smack on the shoulder from Levy. (It was the highest place she could reach on his person.)

As for what they did the entire hour, well Gajeel suggested they go look for scrap metal. And so that is what the trio did. The iron dragon-slayer led them to a dump he said he'd been to before, and was soon on his knees; digging for some quality iron.

"This is disgusting!" Levy told him as she sunk down beside him. She'd already been spooked by a stray cat, nearly stepped in an unidentifiable substance, and had watched Lily stare sadly at a pile of old kiwi rinds.

"He does this all the time," Lily said from beside her, shifting through garbage. "It's actually a pretty good way to get free scrap metal. Food is food, I suppose." The bookworm didn't know what to say to that, so she delicately shifted old newspapers aside to look at what lied underneath.

"Hey, is this piece good?" She called as she unearthed something silver and heavy. Gajeel had looked it over and then he'd bitten a large chunk out of it. "Hm." He hummed while chewing. She took that as a sign that the metal had been satisfactory.

"Well…we just blew half an hour, so we'd better hurry it up to the station." Lily remarked as he glanced at the sun overhead and then at Levy's watch. They'd ended up jogging to the train station in order to make it on time, and made it with five minutes to spare.

"That was a big waste of time," Levy panted as she scoured the surrounding crowd for the Master. "I thought there would be someone to see us off…" It was then she felt a tap on her shoulder and whirled around.

"Jet, Droy!" She managed as she was tackled by her two teammates. "Can't breathe!" She was saved when Gajeel unceremoniously tugged them off of her. The duo was dropped on the ground and landed hard.

"We've got a train to catch. Tell her good-bye and we'll be on our way." He spoke to them coldly, and from beside him, Lily smirked. _'That jealous dragon.' _Indeed, Gajeel had looked more than a little miffed when the blue haired girl had been swept up by two men that were now too old for her after the seven year time skip. _'Old perverts…'_

Levy shrugged the incident off as the whistle for the train sounded, loud and clear. "I'll see you when I get back, okay?" She bid her two friends good-bye and hustled after Gajeel to board at exactly three o' clock. She, Gajeel, and Pantherlily found a place to sit near the back.

Lily yawned and leaned back against his seat. He had a feeling that this train ride would be a long one. The first couple minutes of their ride were shrouded in an awkward silence. For some reason, Gajeel seemed a little uncomfortable. Lily shot him a look and Gajeel sent a weak glare at the exceed.

"Too many people in here, is all," he muttered, referring to the over packed state of their train compartment. Levy gave him a worried look that eased the strange sensation in his stomach and made his cheeks warm for some odd reason.

The iron dragon slayer rummaged for a scrap of iron to gnaw on when silence again pressed down upon the trio. Other passengers stared at Gajeel as he chewed the iron that had been found in the scrapyards earlier that day.

Across from him, Levy opened a book. Gajeel strained his neck to see the cover of it. "The-soar-us?" He asked aloud, confused. What book had a title as long and as dumb as that? She nodded distractedly and kept skimming through the tome. Her brow wrinkled in concentration as she turned a page and nodded to herself.

A good ten minutes later, Gajeel spoke up. "What is that thing?" He was wondering how something so bland could hold her attention for so long. _'Not like I'm jealous of some boring book…'_ Even though it had enraptured her more than he ever had, or that she seemed content to rifle through its pages rather than talk to him. _'It's not like you try to get her to talk to you, iron lug.'_

"Oh?" She said, finally tearing her gaze away from the pages. "This is a thesaurus. I'm trying to discover how I could upgrade my magic with it." Because she used solid script, she could make words come to life. If she could figure out a way to make her root words more powerful, it would help a lot. Then there was also the prospect of adjectives and such…

Levy was unaware she was speaking aloud to her companions, and they both stared at her as she rattled on. "…and of course, there could be a way to configure different suffixes and prefixes into the words to change their effects!"

"Do you think you could try one right now?" Lily asked, curious. She had sure sounded like she knew what she was talking about. What if she was able to make him solid script kiwi by using that book? Or maybe she could reinforce her solid script iron to make Gajeel even stronger.

"I-I suppose I could try something harmless…" She flipped through the large volume on her lap until she stopped at the 'f' section. "Alright, since fire is one of my main words, let's see what there is to upgrade it." Levy had to bypass the alternative synonyms for fire, like enthusiasm and such, and then she glanced over the remaining choices.

"I think that combustion sounds decent…" She took her stylus out and held a palm out. "I want to keep the word elevated so nothing catches on fire," she explained. And then she was writing. Each letter was written with a flourish and was connected to the last.

When the word was finally hanging in the air, two things happened simultaneously: the letters caught aflame in a blazing sweep, and then Levy promptly fainted. Gajeel panicked and lunged across the booth to catch the small female, and Pantherlily grabbed a glass of water from a neighbor to put the powerful word out.

"What the hell!?" Gajeel grumbled as he shook Levy lightly. After the incident, the conductor had wisely advised them to not use any more magic on the train, and to keep watch on the young woman lying unconscious beside the dragon slayer.

That had been nearly half an hour ago, and they were bound to reach Haregon in less than 25 minutes. Levy hadn't stirred at all. "My guess is that 'combustion took a serious toll on her energy." Lily stated, trying to comfort Gajeel. "Ten letters opposed to the four that fire has; she just needs to rest."

That didn't do a whole lot to discourage Gajeel's worry. The shrimp was a tiny little thing, so who's to say how much the drain of magic could affect her? But his woes were set to rest when a dozen laboring minutes later, doe brown eyes met red.

"You're an idiot, shrimp!" He roared at her after she'd sat up and recognized her surroundings. "Don't play around with that stupid book anymore; you'll just pass out again!" Levy was about to retort when Lily caught her eye and shook his head slightly. That's when she realized that his tone was more worried and relieved than angry.

She smiled to herself as the train stopped at their destination; Gajeel had a heart, one bigger than anyone in Fairy Tail ever would've guessed from his rough exterior.

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**A/N: And there you have it, Gajeel is a softie at heart. ;) Hope you weren't waiting too long for this update.**

**REVIEW REPLIES:**

**1fairytaillover: Lol, I agree. Sweet torture from the astute adorableness! **

**Taria Robotnik: ^_^ Well, I love the Sonic fandom and your profile picture. They're very awesome! (Whoo!) And you are wonderful for saying that! Thank you very much! I try my best to keep the characters the way Mashima intended them to be.**

**Darkmyr-InuYashaFan: Thanks! And holy crap, I love Inuyasha as well! Anywho, I will give that book a try, and thanks for your review. :) **

**MsSlicingClaws: XD Lol, Cats are hilarious! I agree they portrayed the cliché damsel in distress thing that gets old after a billion times. Thank you! And holy crap, write faster! I eagerly await your next update!**

**Ulcassi: I kind of did direct him to a scrapyard! XD I answered this question in the AN at the top: Before the Grand Magic Games and after the 7 year time-skip. And thanks for catching that stupid mistake of mine, I've revised that! (Geez that was a huge fail :P) **

**Review, or I'll tell Freed that you've got a crush on Laxus! XD (That won't play out well…)**


	5. Haregon, Return to Where They Met!

**A/N: Oh, I'm being unbearably gushy at the moment! The reason, you might wonder…Well, it's because of all the wonderful reviews I've being receiving as of late. Thank you all so much. Also, for anyone that is interested, Dictionary has a short epilogue posted as chapter 16.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. Just my Snapple here and an awesome rendition of Fairy Tail's main theme. (Dear goodness, I'm sorry for doubting you ITunes!**

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**Thesaurus**

**Chapter 5: Haregon, Return to Where They Met!**

Gajeel kept a sharp eye on Levy as they walked down the crowded street of the port city. Even after her fainting spell, she seemed fine. He didn't want to take any chances, though.

"Lu-chan told me once that this is where she and Natsu met," the bookworm exclaimed. "I wonder where it was exactly." Pantherlily nodded and chatted easily with the blue-haired girl, chiming in with opinions and whatnot.

Honestly, Gajeel couldn't care less that the Salamander had crashed some stupid boat party and inadvertently saved Bunny Girl in the process. He'd actually heard the story being told to Mira from the blonde himself, several times.

"…Lucy once said that she acquired Plue here on the day she met Natsu," Pantherlily said to Levy, sidestepping to avoid a bustling street vendor's cart. "Not surprising; there seems to be a lot of magic stores here." The Exceed caught a glimpse of Gajeel staring at their companion as she gazed through a window at a quill.

"I thought Magnolia was busy!" Levy laughed with Lily and they continued their walk until they reached the docks that extended over the ocean. "Well, we've seen the sights," Levy sighed. "What do we do now?" Her brown eyes captured every detail of the busy port laid out in front of her.

"It's pretty late," Gajeel said. "Maybe we should set off for Valletta tomorrow." It wasn't like he was holding back on leaving to that stupid town because he was _concerned_ for Levy or anything…just, her passing out had been a hassle. He coughed when Pantherlily gave him a sly look and breathed deeply.

The salt of the sea, the grime of the boats, and tons of sweaty people did a number on his nose, but there was something else that sent a shiver of foreboding up Gajeel's spine. The scent of dark magic hung in the air like smog.

"Lily. Do you smell that?" It was a blunt sentence, almost a demand. The Exceed resting in Levy's arms sniffed at the air and stiffened. If the scent was so strong that even Lily, whose nose was a little weaker than Gajeel's, could catch a whiff of it, they were in trouble.

Levy said nothing, only stared intently at Gajeel, demanding answers with her eyes. "Dark magic…" he hissed at her under his breath. "And lots of it." Her face scrunched in the cute way it always did when she was pondering something.

"Can you tell where it's coming from?" The girl kept her voice at a whisper, and didn't notice how Gajeel had gradually shifted to where he was halfway in front of her. The iron dragon slayer had no intention of letting whatever was out there a clear shot at the shrimp.

"I think it's coming from the center of town," he replied, growing more anxious. Of all the places, the damn bad guys always had to choose somewhere in the middle of a crowd. Mages with evil intentions tended to love chaos, or maybe just enjoy the terror that came from spectators.

"Let's go! I'll carry you, Levy. Gajeel can run fast enough to keep up," Lily's paws grasped Levy's shirt and they took off. She'd never been flown by an Exceed before, and it was both exciting and terrifying. They soared up so high that Levy could make out almost every building in the vicinity of Haregon.

Her wondering eyes soon found Gajeel, who was moving in a weird pattern to get around people. Soon after, he moved to the roof tops and bounded between them. He shot Levy a grin when he noticed her above him. _'It is a very good thing she's wearing shorts…Otherwise Gajeel could find himself with a rather nasty nosebleed.' _Pantherlily thought as he maneuvered through the air.

The trio met up at a fountain in the middle of a shopping district. They caused a commotion, Lily swooping down to carefully drop Levy, and Gajeel bounding down from the roofs. "It's just to the north of us, I can feel it!" Gajeel growled at took the lead.

'_Could this lead us to Shadow Claw?'_ Levy wondered. _'If it isn't them, what has Gajeel and Lily so riled up? The way he growled just now, something powerful must be upsetting his nose.'_

"HERE!" Gajeel practically roared as he skidded to a stop around a corner. "Iron dragon's roar –" There was no chance for him to release his attack as a sphere of water hit him in the chest and sent him flying.

"Nice hit Ryomo-chan!" A nasty female voice careened through the alley. Why did terrible things always happen in alleys? That voice was strangely familiar! A scene from Clover popped into the bookworm's mind. On a mission there, she and Lucy had been brutally attacked by two Shadow Claw mages, and then narrowly saved by Natsu and Gajeel.

"Gajeel! That voice, it's from Clover!" She shouted to him as he stood and dusted himself off. That sphere of water had hit him square in the chest, and boy, it was _heavy_ for some reason. He heard her call just in time to see something terrifying.

A rope of shadow came barreling towards two of the things he treasured the most. "WATCH OUT!" He screamed at them; but he was too late. The black mass swept across Levy's legs and the end caught Pantherlily in the stomach.

He was about to move for them when out of the corner of his eye he saw a vine heading for his foot. He stomped on it and gave a sharp tug. It was no surprise who he was met with on the other end. Helga, an obese plant mage from the trip to Clover. She fell forward with a mighty thump that shook the concrete.

From the shadows emerged Nyx, a malicious shadow mage who'd cowardly attacked Levy from behind during the mission in Clover. He'd gotten his ass kicked by an angry Gajeel and Natsu for that one, yet had still managed to escape with Helga. Whoever the water-user had been leapt up and away, and all Gajeel could make out was a black silhouette that looked distinctly female.

"_You,"_ the iron dragon slayer spat, preparing a roar. They had the gull to attack he and Levy a second time? They'd hurt his cat, _and_ the shrimp. He was doubly pissed now. "Iron dragon's roar!" Shrapnel whistled as it flew towards the fat one at high velocity. She shrieked as every bit of the roar hit her.

Now he just had to take care of the creepy one. Nyx sneered as Gajeel stared him down. "Don't like me taking out the girlie a second time?" Gajeel's eyes narrowed and he felt anger and power well up inside of him. He was about to attack when:

"Solid Script: Hole!" And down Nyx fell. The iron mage was temporarily confused until he looked up. His cat hovered above the ground with Levy in his grasp, and had attacked unseen from above.

Gajeel could only gape at the team as they descended and headed towards him. "You okay?" Levy asked sweetly. "It looked like you got hit pretty hard!" She looked him over for injuries as he bore a hole in her blue hair with his intense gaze.

'_What the hell, shorty? I get a little wet, and you and Lil' get swept away by creepy shadows? I think I'm the one who should be asking if you're okay…'_ He voiced his thoughts and didn't have time to react before he found two sparkling eyes looking right into his.

"Gajeel, I think Lily and I are just fine. A few bruises don't hurt all that much. Thank you for worrying, though!" Levy was so completely earnest that he felt his face grow hot. Then his eyes found her shins and calves, and he became enraged again.

"Those are some pretty nasty bruises, shorty!" He snarled and marched over to the hole. "Iron dragon's roar!" A girly scream echoed from the hole, and Gajeel snorted, satisfied for now. He walked back over to his team and crossed his arms. "Let's go find an inn to stay in. The trash can clean itself up."

That night the three of them stayed in a small inn close to the sea. They'd gotten a small room together after Levy had explained she'd slept in the same room with Jet and Droy so she didn't mind. Gajeel had ground his teeth at her explanation but didn't say anything.

Levy fell asleep to the sound of Gajeel's deep breathing, and he fell asleep to an image of her adorable sleeping face. Lily lay there smirking, wondering how two love-struck fools could be so oblivious, and then hit the sack and dreamed of kiwis and a world where there were no thunderstorms.

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**A/N: That was really fun to write, actually. I hope you didn't mind me prolonging their arrival to Valletta. It was in order to bring out Gajeel's feelings and to give you some enemies to consider. I may not have school tomorrow, because man, so much snow! Also, thanks for your reviews! Keep it up, it helps so much.**

**REVIEW REPLIES:**

**Darkmyr-InuYashaFan: YAY, indeed! I couldn't resist doing that. :P **

**1fairytaillover: Yes, he is very worried! And him getting jealous is really entertaining to me! XD **

**Taria Robotnik: Heehee…very good point. May I say, I read you're Sesshomaru and Rin story and was very impressed. It's wonderful! I will go back and review it when I find the time.**

**FairyVampire-Chan: ^.^ Thank you very much! Ha, character development. The more you wait, the better the kiss and confession will be, I promise. I've got to build up to it!**

**XD-RaNdOmNeSs-XD: :D I love me a jealous Gajeel! And I loved episode 125. I cracked up so much! That dancing scene = pure gold. *tears up* that is so awesome! Thank you for making me happy with your review. I'm very happy you enjoyed Dictionary enough to come check this out!**

**QueenOfTheives: Thank you very much! ;w; I love to hear that! I hope you enjoy my writing in the future. Lol, XD Freed X Laxus is not a pairing I ship! **

**xXLovelyAnimeLoverXx: Thanks for taking the time to read this! :) I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Embarrassment is a total given…XD**

**MsSlicingClaws: Haha, when they become canon, he'll have to deal with the books getting a lot of time from his girl! XD That's alright. As long as you write, I'll read! AYE SIR! And hey, Ryomo was peeking out here a little bit… ;)**

**Review or I will go through a Laxus angry teenager phase and hold a town hostage! I've just got to find some lacrima… **


	6. Journey

**A/N: Wow, so many kind reviews. On dictionary, one of my favorite authors on this site reviewed and made my entire week. Thanks kurisu313, go check out his stories, they're great! (And they are GaLe, which means that I am obsessed now.) Not to mention that he gave me two favorites, a follow, the whole package! :) Could cry from all that happiness. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, though I've asked Santa for it a million times. Seriously Santa, you mean old dream crusher.**

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**Thesaurus**

**Chapter 6: Journey**

When Levy woke up, the sun was already high in the sky and the birds were making a racket. Ugh, she'd slept in! "Gajeel, we've got to go!" She'd raised her voice because she couldn't see him, so she was startled when his voice came from so close.

"Don't shout, shrimp. We'll leave after I finish." The blue-haired girl was about to ask 'finish what?' when she felt a tug on her legs. "Oh!" She was, needless to say, surprised. Bandages were wound tightly over the few scrapes and many bruises she'd received from Nyx's shadows.

'_Did he really do this?'_ She wondered. Just then, Pantherlily's ears could be seen emerging from the pile of blankets on the other bed. His stomach was also swathed in bandages where he'd taken a direct hit from the same shadows as Levy.

"He insisted on patching you up first, so I did this myself," Lily smirked. The bookworm didn't know what to say. She'd always thought Lily was first priority for Gajeel, and to hear that he'd made sure she was taken care of first…

Levy's cheeks flamed as she realized what the situation insinuated. "Uh, G-Gajeel, are you done yet?" The iron dragon slayer looked up from her legs and simply nodded. She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got out of the bed. "I'll pack and meet you two in the lobby so we can head out!" And then she disappeared into the bathroom.

"How'd her legs look?" The black exceed asked as his partner stared at the door Levy had vanished behind. Gajeel's red irises were fixated on the door, as if he were waiting for a hint of blue to show she was coming back out.

"Her legs were fine, besides the fact that they're short and all," the iron mage tore his gaze from the door to look at his exceed. "How's your stomach, Lil?" Despite taking care of the bookworm first, he'd still been worried for his cat.

"It's fine. Honestly, I was more worried about that nosebleed you about had this morning when you were going to wake her up," Lily chuckled. This morning had been hilarious, watching the big, hulking iron dragon slayer try to find a gentle way to rouse the girl. He'd blushed fire truck red when Levy had rolled over and exposed too much of her 'little shrimp leg' to him.

The blushing brute in question blushed faintly and rolled his eyes. He then turned around to stuff a couple of things into his duffel, and then made his way to the door. _'A quick escape to the lobby before that damn cat can throw anymore jibes at me.'_

_~*_ _Levy *~_

Levy smiled to herself as she tugged a brush through her unruly hair. She'd woken up to something she'd never thought she'd see: the dragon slayer tame and gentle. His facial expressions had been cute, almost. He'd acted childish when Lily had addressed the fact that he'd gone to her, first.

As the bookworm slid a black and white bandana into place, she swung her bag onto her shoulder. Today, they journeyed to Valletta! Their mission would start and there would be nothing but the forest, her, Gajeel, and Pantherlily for the duration of their walk.

"I'm ready!" She announced as she walked into the lobby. Gajeel was leaning on the counter and chewing on a bolt, Pantherlily seated beside him. At her exclamation, both males turned to her, and then to the door.

"Let's head out, shall we?" Lily asked, settling on Gajeel's head. All of that bushy hair made for a comfortable resting place for a four hour journey. His tail fell in front of Gajeel's nose, and the dragon slayer grabbed for it.

"None of that, Lily, its freaking annoying," the tail disappeared from his vision, and a satisfied Gajeel turned to the girl beside him. "Hope you're up to a long hike," he grunted. Truth be told, the man was worried for the shrimp beside him. She'd just been attacked, what if all of the walking put more strain on her damaged legs? But she didn't seem to notice any pains or discomfort, so he'd let the matter be, for now.

Around the trio from Fairy Tail, countless trees blocked out any view of the near ocean that they would've had. Gajeel could still smell the tang of salt in the air, and Levy could hear the occasional crashing of waves against the distant shoreline, but the sight of the vast blue waters was lost. Strangely, Lily didn't seem very happy about this at all.

"It's the ocean!" He cried out from atop Gajeel's head. "It's blue and huge! Just imagine Happy when he hears of all the fish that roam the ocean foam…" His black eyes gleamed in an odd way Levy had come to recognize. Ah, there was the old out of character Pantherlily. He got like this when he strongly loved or disliked anything.

"We'll get to see it when we get back from our mission," Levy reassured him, smiling. The black exceed nodded and turned over in his position in Gajeel's mane of hair. He had an odd expression on his face, and the ocean seemed all but forgotten.

"Hey, Levy. Do you think you could carry me for a while? Gajeel's porcupine here is getting kind of uncomfortable," the shorty in question complied, completely missing the triumphant look on the exceed's face and the frazzled one his partner wore.

The next hour continued in this fashion: Levy carried Lily, who taunted Gajeel from his position. The faces he could make were pretty frustrating to the iron dragon slayer, who had an idea of what his cat was trying to play at; the jealousy card.

It was speculated, but not known for sure, that the iron mage was a clingy person in a half-asleep or unconscious state. He'd grabbed on to Lily plenty of times, but only recently had the sleeping Gajeel called out for shorty.

Pantherlily smirked at those memories. _'I suppose Levy would make for an excellent teddy bear for Gajeel…'_ Or maybe that was his inner Mira speaking. Whatever it was, the exceed could tell Gajeel wasn't too happy with two of his favorite things out of his grasp with each other, of all things. To him, it probably felt like a low double betrayal.

"We're almost there," Gajeel said bluntly. He'd been watching the girl and his cat for a while now, and clenched his fists at the undeniable cuteness the pair exuded. What he wouldn't give to haul both of them onto his shoulders so he didn't have to look at them anymore…

"Half n' hour, give or take. Good thing too, cuz' I'd rather not bulldoze through anymore trees," Gajeel kept his red irises locked on the path ahead, not daring to risk being pulled into an overwhelming aroma of cuteness. At that thought, a random 'perfume!' punctured the air and all three traveling companions shuddered.

"What do you say we walk a little faster?" Asked Levy, nervously glancing behind her. Ichiya-san didn't _seem_ to be of the sort that stalked people in the woods out in the middle of nowhere, but she'd rather not take any chances.

"Agreed," Lily and Gajeel said, increasing their walking speed. Thirty minutes was cut down to nearly twenty thanks to an abnormal fear of a Blue Pegasus weirdo. "Now we just need to locate the town hall," Lily thanked Levy and hopped out of her arms. "Something tells me it'll be in the middle of town."

They turned a corner, and ran into an absolute unexpected disaster.

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**A/N: "Oh, AJ-chan, you bastard! Fancy leaving us all offs on a cliff-hanger after you slack off and just post the new chapter now?" Aha…well, life is busy. And it kind of sucks, at the moment. Hope none of you are too angry at me. It's only been a week and a couple o' days…**

**RANDOM NOTES:**

**I think I'm going to watch Fushigi Yugi. Chichiri and Tasuki are freaking growing on me, and all because of this awesome fanfic I'm reading.**

**Go listen to Amsterdam by Coldplay. Don't know why, but it's hitting me deep today. **

**REVIEW REPLIES: **

**Miss Rune: Ah! I see you've changed your username. I like it though! And Heehee… It's certainly an interesting and good story. Much better than my fail of an Inuyasha fanfic. :P Thanks, and Lily does have an excellent outlook…Kukuku…**

**MsSlicingClaws: XD I was looking forward to your response! I'm really glad you liked her intro. I'll make sure to squeeze in a ton of cute moments for you in the upcoming chaps, even though things are about to escalate into the serious… Thanks…^_^ and Lol. She'll talk, I promise! **

**1fairytaillover: I don't know if it was pervy. Yet. ;) We'll see in the future about that though… *evil laughter* **

**XD-RaNdOmNeSs-XD: Thank you for noticing that! I laughed at that one, even. Haha, give the guy a call and we can take over my town tonight! Yes they are called that, and welcome to the team! ;D**

**Guest: No pressure! AHHH NO FREAKING PRESSURE!**

**Nadeshiko Redfox: Long time no see you awesome you! And Lol. I was watching the 4****th**** season, so that's probably Laxus is on my mind lately. Hah, Gajeel did the whole wrapping thing and he DID kick their stupid butts. Double the score for GaLe, ne? *bows* thanks! I don't know how good my fight scenes are *sweatdrops* and if there is anything I can do to make them better, let me know. **

**Darkmyr-InuYashaFan: I agree with you! And thanks. Lily's adorableness will rule over all!**

**RoronoaZoro87: Ah, sorry! ^_^' Here is your update. Hope you enjoyed.**

**JincyXNamyFTW: That review made my day! Seriously. And it was a Monday! :D I'm so, so happy you are a GaLe fan now because of my work. I love your pairings by the way. And sorry, I have no clue what Grand Chase is…**

**Review, or I'll tell Helga to sit on you, no da! (Crap, Chichiri is getting to me! NOOO!)**


	7. Desolate

**A/N: There's no better day to write than on a rainy day! ^_^ so here I am. Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter, we're inching towards 50 everyday! I'm watching Fushigi Yuugi officially now, and I love it. Chichiri and Tasuki are hilarious. Speaking of those two, I'm listening to their character songs as I write this… \(*^*)z (Oh god, Chichiri has such a high voice! XD) **

**Disclaimer: I really wish I didn't have to admit this every chapter, but I do not own Fairy Tail. Or Fushigi Yuugi, which I did a rant about above.**

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**Thesaurus**

**Chapter 7: Desolate **

_They turned a corner, and ran into an absolute unexpected disaster. _

"The hell!?" This 'lovely' statement came from Gajeel, who'd run into the large person first. His first thought was that the mage they'd run into had been Helga, because they were so big. It was after this thought that a familiar scent overpowered his nose. _'No! It can't be…'_

The larger male recovered first and was on his feet and glaring down at the Fairy Tail mages before Gajeel had even moved. "Ah…Gajeel-kun," His deep voice boomed. "So sorrowful, so sad!" The iron dragon slayer winced as he saw tears spill out from under blindfolded eyes, and carefully shifted so he was covering the shrimp and his cat. He wouldn't let this man hurt the two things most important to him.

"Aria," Gajeel could hardly spit the name out. How awful was it that the other three members of the element four had been given second chances, and that the most powerful member hadn't relinquished his ways. Totomaru had become a teacher, Juvia a wonderful mage of a prospering guild, and Sol a train co-captain.

"G-Gajeel?" Levy's voice quivered, recognizing the former Phantom Lord mage. This was a man who'd taken on Makarov, Natsu, _and_ Erza. While the iron dragon slayer might stand a chance, she would be out of the picture with one strong attack from Aria.

"We need to get out of here," Lily spoke strongly, sensing something was wrong. Levy stood after Gajeel had and took a few steps back. What was going to happen if Aria tried something?

Just then the tears on the opponent's face subsided and he smirked down at the trio. And then he disappeared into thin air.

"Shit!" Gajeel cursed, grabbing Levy's wrist and scooping up Lily with his free arm. One aspect of Aria's Airspace magic was teleportation, so there was no telling where he would be coming at them from now. "Lily, where's the town hall?!" If there were mages there, or better yet, a strong leader that could help at least a little, they'd stand a better chance.

"Try for the obvious and check the center of town!" Pantherlily was struggling in Gajeel's tight grasp, wanting to fly up and get a better look. Levy was all but dragged behind as Gajeel sprinted for all he was worth, not wanting to be caught by his sadistic former comrade.

"There it is!" Levy yelled at her partners, trying to be heard over the rushing of wind in her ears as the iron mage sped on. The spire of a majestic building peeked over small houses and stores; a beacon of hope and safety.

Gajeel made a sharp turn down a side street, wondering where all the citizens of Valletta had gone. It was mid-afternoon, surely there should be more people out and about? Suddenly his feet went out from under him and he lost his grip on Levy's wrist, but managed to snatch Pantherlily's tail, much to his chagrin.

"Shrimp!" Gajeel struggled to his feet after seeing the large figure making several hand signs in quick succession. _'Isn't that Zetsu?'_ It was indeed Zetsu, an attack which left Aria's palm splayed open and pointing at the target.

The iron dragon slayer charged at Aria's unprotected back, preparing a roar to aim at him at point blank range. Though his mind should've been blank and focused only on crushing Aria, it was filled with various thoughts.

'_Please let me kick his ass in time, let the shrimp be okay… At least he isn't using Metsu, that stupid attack that almost brought Makarov down.' _He neared the broad back of his sadistic enemy and sucked in a large breath. "IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!"

Somehow, Aria hadn't seen this coming. _'How sad! He shouldn't have been quick enough to attack me!' _The lingering wisps of magic that had been circulating around his open palms dissipated and he began to cry again. "So close, how depressing!" He peeled himself off of the ground and pouted at the pain that flared in his back. The injury of the iron dragon's roar would put him out of commission for a while, but he would return!

"Teleport…" Aria wheezed, and then he disappeared. Gajeel sighed in relief and realized he was still holding Lily by his tail. He released him with a barely audible _'sorry'_ and bent down to examine Levy.

She was curled on her side, her dress marred with a few dirt stains from skidding across the worn path of the alleyway. Gajeel carefully eased his arms underneath her and lifted her into his arms. Two doe brown eyes met his and she smiled at him. "I'm okay," she laughed at the expression on his face.

"I thought you were out of it," he admitted, starting to walk. "I guess ya hit the ground pretty hard though." He discreetly eyed the bandages wound around her legs, checking to make sure they were still intact.

"Thank goodness you are alright, Levy," Pantherlily settled down on Gajeel's shoulder and tugged sharply on his ear. "Full speed ahead, stubborn mule. The town hall is a turn away!" Said 'mule' glared at the Exceed on his shoulder but didn't lash out. He was too relieved that the shrimp was okay to argue.

As Lily had said, the town hall stretched above their heads after one right turn. It was the only building in Valletta that demanded all attention, with intricate designs and paintings adorning its walls. Levy's eyes were glued to an inscription above the door, and was trying to translate it even when Gajeel stepped into the threshold; craning her neck to see it better.

Inside, a desk sat in a corner, unmanned. "Hello?" Levy called out, confused as to why no one was there. Or at least, she didn't think anyone was there. This was proved wrong when a crashing noise came from above them and a person came stumbling down a spiral staircase.

"Oh…Uh, hi?" The man mumbled. He was a scrawny man, with owl-eye glasses and a short mass of blonde hair cropped close in front. His small eyes took in his company and widened comically when they saw the guild signs on Gajeel's shoulder and Levy's back.

"You're from Fairy Tail!?" He exclaimed, rushing forwards. "My name is Tono Rabbits, mayor of Valletta and former Fairy Tail mage!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Levy squirmed out of Gajeel's arms and hugged the lanky man.

"Tono, it's been ages!" She completely missed Gajeel's dark look at the sight of her embracing someone else, but released him nonetheless. "Does the Master know you're out here?"

Tono adjusted his glasses and said, "yes, I believe I informed him a while back about where I was…I heard about Tenrou and I'm sorry to see Fairy Tail so small nowadays." He grinned, "but it's very nice to see you. Who are these gentlemen with you?"

By now, Gajeel wasn't stewing anymore and gruffly stuck out his hand. "Gajeel Redfox," he glared at the man. "I think I recognize ya." Tono blinked owlishly and examined Gajeel.

"Gajeel…where have I heard that name before?" He paled instantly. "You're one of the mages that joined Fairy Tail after Phantom Lord!" He took a couple of steps back when Gajeel's eyes narrowed. "I remember fighting the Shades and then celebrating afterwards…"

A cough interrupted him, and Tono looked at his feet, where Lily stood with his arms crossed. "I am Pantherlily, Gajeel's partner." Tono nodded silently and stared at the cat.

"Then you're a flying cat, like Happy?" Tono asked. He was amazed at all of the memories that rushed back into his head from when he'd been a member of Fairy Tail. Now he almost regretted leaving to become mayor.

"Um…I hate to intrude, but we were looking for someplace to stay for a while so we can take care of a dark guild," Levy said, trying to gauge Tono's reaction. Would he be afraid of Gajeel, even though he'd changed?

"You can stay!" Tono said quickly, trying to avoid the iron gaze peering at him from over Levy's shoulder. "There's extra rooms upstairs! If you'll excuse me, I've got something to do! See yourselves to your rooms…" And then the odd man was gone.

"Was that weakling really from Fairy Tail?" Gajeel asked, incredulous as they walked up the stairs. Surely someone like that couldn't have stood up to one of Jose's shades…

"Yep. He wasn't in all that much; he took a lot of missions, escorts mostly," Levy said. "I'm going to throw my things in a room, then I'll meet you guys out here and we can plan for action, sound good?"

Two noncommittal nods followed, and Levy disappeared. _'Is this really what's become of so much of Fairy Tail?'_

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**A/N: Before you jump on me, Tono Rabbits WAS a member of Fairy Tail before the Tenrou arc. He's seen fighting shades and partying on several occasions. I didn't want to make an OC for a semi-important role. Look him up and laugh, because he's kind of a dork.**

**And shameless happiness rant? You bet your apples. There was a dance Friday night, and I got to slow dance with the boy I like…so I think it's safe to say I nearly exploded with happiness! :D**

**Oh, and more importantly, I have two requests. One, if anyone would ever want to draw fanart or coverart for any of my stories, I'd die. Second, I'm putting up a poll for yes or no as to a third installment to this mini series.**

**REVIEW REPLIES:**

**1fairytaillover: XD you've got to love Lily's secret evil side!**

**Nadeshiko Redfox: I know right, no da? It's pretty awesome. A jealous Gajeel is a prize for many fangirls…;) Ha, Lily gets me going and I just can't help but run with his antics. :O I must go read it immediately! And you'd better get that chapter up so I can swarm it with love! Thank you for reviewing!**

**RoronoaZoro87: Lol, yes master. Your wish is my command! Thanks, ^_^ and here you are.**

**Kitsuri Mizuka: Lol, he's certainly wonderful. Thank you for reviewing and liking my story! Here's your update!**

**Kurisu313: ^_^ Again! *dies from happiness* Thank you! I'm glad you get time to read GaLe. Oh no, I saw it! It's wonderful and tasteful, too! *facepalm* like a dork I did…sorry. Thanks again! Their twilight phase makes me go a little crazy though, as I'd really just like to bash their heads together and be all like: NOW KISS! ;) thanks for reviewing, and keep up your work on that story of yours.**

**Miss Rune: That's alright! I like the new username a lot. It's unique! Of course I liked your story, it was flipping awesome! Just the right balance of suspense and fluff… Haha, it was my first piece of work, so it isn't all that great. \(*^*)z why thank you! :P Ha, I did totally cop Naraku's laugh, didn't I? Oops!**

**Darkmyr-InuYashaFan: YOUR WAIT IS OVER! XD Thank you for the refreshing enthusiasm!**

**Review, or I'll tell Sherry that you've been secretly hitting on Ren. (you'd better run from the love…)**


	8. Blue Flash

**A/N: Oh, boo. I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but I'm on spring break and the time really just slips away! I'm pondering on getting an account on Deviant Art and publishing my stories (Dictionary and maybe this one) and just…drawing. But I don't know how my time will work out with that so, *shrugs***

***insert witty disclaimer here***

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**Thesaurus**

**Chapter 8: Blue Flash**

Gajeel watched the door to Levy's room shut and turned away with a grunt. "Pick a room Lil'," his tone made it evident that he wasn't very happy. Pantherlily gave him a hard stare before choosing a random room and temporarily using his magic to open the door; he would be too small to reach the knob otherwise.

The iron dragon slayer's duffel bag bounced as he tossed it on to the only bed in the room. Gajeel himself followed suit and flopped down onto the bed. _'Tony Babbits…what a stupid name,'_ though he had the wrong name, he still brooded over Tono Rabbits. He was jealous of that small moment when she'd been hugging him. _'Some big shot mayor? Who cares, that guy's puny! Then again, so is Shrimp; but she's the good kind of small…'_ His thoughts continued to wander as he stared up at the ceiling.

One room over, Levy shrugged out of her dirty dress and pulled on a pair of shorts and an orange and white shirt instead. While Gajeel had been thinking about their host, the girl's mind took a different (and more practical) path.

'_What was Aria doing here? He couldn't have been waiting for us to arrive…and why attack a former guild mate with no reason?'_ She may have loved puzzles and riddles, but she disliked this one because of the threat it might pose and because it was so serious.

The bookworm sighed to herself and rolled over on the bed, deciding to just leave it alone for now. She instead thought back to Tono, and how successful he seemed. Sure it was sad that many of Fairy Tail's members had left, but she hoped that they were all leading good lives.

Her train of thought was interrupted by her door slamming open and knocking loudly into the wall behind it.

"Gajeel! Knock first, I could've been changing," she flushed and walked towards the door. "Do you want to do some investigating or something? We need a couple of leads. Maybe…" she trailed off when it seemed Gajeel wasn't listening to her.

Unbeknownst to Levy, the iron dragon slayer had gotten stuck on the words 'could've been changing' for the entire time. His face was red and he was sweating bullets. Thoughts of the blue-haired girl danced through his mind and her voice coming from behind him made him even more nervous. _'Snap out of it, you're not some pervert!'_

"Investigating sounds like a good idea, Levy," said Pantherlily, coming to the rescue. He'd noticed his partner's expression and had tried his best not to laugh. Honestly, were all Earth Land people this odd? Maybe Gajeel was just his own brand of weird.

Levy proceeded to brush right past the dragon slayer and down the spiral stairs, eager to explore the town and maybe get some answers to a few questions she had. Like why there were no citizens, if Aria had been seen before…

Gajeel's red irises were fixated on Levy as she disappeared down the stairs. The slight blush on his face intensified and he shook his head wildly. _'Get yer head out of the gutter, idiot! Stop thinking about how good she looked in those shorts and-!'_

His cheeks resembled tomatoes as he unintentionally reminded himself of Levy's figure. But all it took was one whack from Lily and he was out of it. "She's probably already out the door by now, you don't want her to get in trouble do you?"

Ten uneventful minutes later, Gajeel found himself in the company of Levy and his cat, scouring the forest that surrounded Valletta in an attempt to find anything suspicious. It wasn't going very well for a couple of reasons.

One, the iron dragon slayer had no patience, which meant that instead of concentrating on their mission and keeping a sharp eye out, he was demolishing trees and making a ruckus. The second reason nothing was getting done dealt with a small bookworm. She couldn't help but fawn over all of the adorable animals that crossed her path.

Then again, not every forest animal is cute and this became evident with a small scream from Levy, which brought her partners rushing towards her with worried shouts of, 'you okay shrimp?!' As well as, 'Levy, are you alright?'

They found her backed up against a tree, staring at the ground and pointing a wobbly finger. "S-spider," she squealed as the arachnid crept closer. Really, her fear wasn't unwarranted; that spider was the size of a tarantula. It was definitely not an animal Levy wanted to stare at, either, as it wasn't very attractive.

Though it may have been big, it was no match for a sharp stomp from Gajeel's heavy boot. Said owner of shoe peered down at the female, trying to look imposing on the outside contrary to his rampaging heart that resided in his chest. When he'd heard her scream, he'd nearly combusted.

It'd brought back unwanted memories of their meeting, and of Tenrou Island. Both times she'd gotten hurt badly as a result, and hearing her cry out once again really did a number on him. _'I thought she was in trouble…I seriously panicked there for a second.'_

"Geez," he moaned, grabbing her hand to tug her out of her awkward position against the tree. "I thought those nutcases from Shadow Claw had gotten to ya or somethin'!" Of course, because he was big, bad, and _refused_ to worry, he was channeling his feelings of relief in a different way.

"Sorry," Levy then realized he was still grasping her hand and tugged it away quickly, feeling her face heat up. _'Oh, I'm such an imbecile! Screaming because of a spider…'_ She quickly added 'thanks' to her apology when she saw the spider smeared on the ground.

"We're glad you're alright, is what he means," Lily said, glaring at his partner. "Since we haven't really found anything and been a while, what do you say we head back? The sun is going down." The Exceed was met with a pair of nods. _'I feel like I'm the voice of reason…'_

_*Later That Night*_

Gajeel stretched his arms above his head as he passed Levy and his cat on his way to the stairs. "I'm gonna scout around out back," he told them, ignoring their twin looks of curiosity. They'd already gone on a rather long scouting trip today, but maybe a little extra wouldn't hurt. The duo of small and adorable went back to their card game on the floor.

The iron mage shook his head at their ridiculous cuteness and made his way around to the back of town hall. His sharp eyesight took in the shadowed alleyways and some plants that grew from cracked pottery on rooftops. "Seems like a good spot for the fat one and the creepy one to attack us…" He was of course, referring to Helga and Nyx.

He was about to go check the street out in front when a fleeting flash of blue caught his eye. "Shrimp?" He called out, scanning his surroundings again. Hadn't she just been inside with Lily? She wouldn't just appear out here.

A lightning flash of blue danced across the rooftops right in front of him, and the dragon slayer swore he felt the gaze of a predator on him. A golden glint from where the odd sensation was coming from confirmed his suspicions: something, or someone, was out their watching him. He decided to play neutral and wait for them to slip up and reveal themselves further.

He didn't have to wait very long.

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**A/N: Ha, hate me! I just had to do a cliffhanger. I think building up the suspense for what's coming next is really important. I hope none of you have a heart attack or anything. Oh~ by the way, I am trying to get my butt in gear and write another installment for 'The Power of Twelve' so if you like that story, kudos to you! :P**

**I can't say this often enough, but I really do appreciate every review, favorite, and follow I receive. THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH! ^_^**

**REVIEW REPLIES:**

**Miss Rune: Aw…thanks! :) And of course I copped his laugh… It's a pretty awesome laugh!**

**1fairytaillover: You called it! A jealous Gajeel makes for a happy inner fan girl!**

**MsSlicingClaws: Gihee! That's quite alright. I'm actually only a year older than 12, so I hope that the party was awesome! (They are usually pretty fun! Was it a family member or a friend?) Oh, a test? That sucks. I loathe tests…I hope you did well. Thanks! ^_^ Aria was a loose end I had to tie…he's so powerful that I just had to bring him back! Ha, look him up! He's a total geek, but I love him. And also, I hope you like you-know-who's appearance! ;) (No, not Lord Voldemort!) **

**Passwordrawr: No problem, pal: take another update! Lol, I hope the love doesn't hurt you too much. And by the way, I love your use of trololol and MOAR! (I use those occasionally.) Plot development and a worried Gajeel all the more so this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed.**

**Darkmyr-InuYashaFan: Haha…I actually don't know what you were going to say. Hopefully that you liked it and wanted another chapter?**

**Kurisu313: Minor characters are fun to mess with…there are quite a lot hanging out there, actually. And thanks! …The mule thing might've been a total dork move… :P**

**Nadeshiko Redfox: HAHA XD Yeah, Ren really isn't my favorite either. Eve is more my speed, and I like his magic. I personally thought Lyon and Sherry would be better together. (Plus it'd get Lyon off of my Gruvia ship!) I know, right? Tono is kind of the definition of lame. XD Lol, if every team was as awesome as Natsu's or Gajeel's, we'd have a whole lot of fun on our hands!**

**Piranha pk: Owo Oh my goodness! First off, I really enjoy your writing, it's wonderful! Secondly, thanks for reviewing! He seems to be worrying a lot in this fic, probably because the fan girl in me can't let go of that concept…^_^' XD I saw that! Lol, and then he apparently loves bananas. I was like: okay Mashima, whatever you say! :3**

**Iluminofury: ;_; I'm sorry! *bows* please forgive me! Fight scenes are difficult sometimes, I WILL TRY HARDER AND I APOLOGIZE A THOUSAND FOLD!**

**Cecilia Glass: XD yes, run! That's alright, I do that with some fanfictions as well. I'm glad you returned though! I love GaLe too, their probably my favorite tied with NaLu. ;_; I can't decide! And no problem, hope you enjoyed!**

**Review, or I'll tell Gajeel you stole his guitar and his background bunny girl dancer. Then you'll have both Gajeel and Natsu trying to roast you, Gihee! :P**


	9. Ryomo

**A/N: I apologize for this chapter's slight lateness. Only a day late! I drew a pretty sweet picture of Blackstar from Soul Eater for a contest, and it turned out wonderfully. Next week I have several important exams to prepare for, so there may not be any updates.**

**Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue, I do not own, so please do not sue.**

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**Thesaurus**

**Chapter 9: Ryomo **

"Hey Lily," Levy started as she looked at the Exceed. "Why would Gajeel be scouting again?" She was genuinely curious, wondering why on earth the dragon slayer was so paranoid that he'd double check their surroundings. Pantherlily had his own, more accurate answer, but he decided to keep that answer to himself.

"It never hurts to double check; Gajeel just wants to make sure everything's secure," Lily figured telling a slight white lie wouldn't kill anyone. The real reason Gajeel had gone to sniff around was probably because he wanted to be sure Shadow Claw wouldn't return and hurt Levy again. Protective dragon instincts had something to do with that mix.

Levy let out a slow, 'oh' and dealt out the cards for a new game. She'd been beating Lily pretty easily the entire time they'd been playing, so it was time for something else. "This one is called Slap Jack…" The blue-haired girl smiled as she began to explain the rules.

_*Outside of the Town Hall*_

The first attack came from the opponent, and that was something Gajeel wasn't expecting. Especially when the opponent completely revealed themselves and he was able to realize that he was up against a girl.

She was lithe and quick; which became evident when she back flipped over the iron pole Gajeel formed to ward her off. She had a crown of blue hair slightly darker than Levy's, worn in a thick braid that smacked him in the face as she leapt over him. "Oi," he complained feebly.

Twin golden eyes gleamed in the near darkness and in the distance, thunder rumbled. _'Oh come on!' _Gajeel inwardly rolled his eyes. _'This is so…what'd shrimp call it, Cliché?'_ A tanned forearm boxed his ear as she again leapt over him like some kind of feline.

"That's it, you're going down!" The iron dragon slayer was being toyed with, and that was something he did not enjoy. Now he was both irritated and determined. The determination came from the desire to protect those behind him in the town hall. _'Well maybe not that Tony guy…'_

He was interrupted when a sphere of water hit him in the face and sent him reeling back. Gajeel coughed and blew salty water out of his nose, doubly pissed off now. He located the pest and bellowed: "IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!"

The mass of shrapnel and wind barreled for the enemy, and it must've made contact because the iron mage's keen ears picked up the angry curses streaming out of her mouth as a wobbly figure stood up. Gajeel managed to chuckle at the disheveled girl. He wasn't laughing for long.

Contrary to what he'd thought, she'd come out of his roar rather alright. With one of her water shields up, the attack had only caused minor damage. Now she was ready to rumble. "Brace yourself, cause' Ryomo is coming at ya!"

Two short yet sharp blades were tugged out from her boots and sent flying at the iron dragon slayer. _'Bad move, short stuff. Then again, she ain't shrimp short. And she's actually got boobs-'_A mental picture of Levy playing cards with Lily in the hallway flitted though his mind, and his cheeks flushed. He'd bent over to see what they were doing and had gotten a peek down Levy's shirt as he towered above her.

A whistling sound caught his attention and reminded him that now really wasn't the time for this. The two knives were caught with one hand and thrown with abandon into his mouth; never to be seen again. "Thanks for the meal…Roly poly?"

"The hell…my name is Ryomo you metal-headed freak!" She shouted angrily at him. It seems as if now the battle had become one of insults and crude words rather than fists and magic. It's a good thing that words are Levy's specialty.

Said bookworm and Pantherlily had been starting their second round of Flap Jack, (Levy had predictably won the first round,) when they heard a commotion outside. With everything that had already gone wrong on this mission, they weren't going to take any chances.

So now they stood, somewhat behind Gajeel, in front of the town hall. Levy immediately zeroed in on the enemy…and gasped. _'Oh come on! Besides her blue hair, I mean, seriously!? She might be short but even from here I can tell she's taller. And her chest, it's...' _Her forehead scrunched up adorably in frustration, effectively and unintentionally distracting Gajeel.

"Who are you?" Lily tried to be diplomatic, hoping to talk out their differences or whatever to avoid more fighting. Before Gajeel could interrupt with 'Roly Poly,' the woman piped up.

"Ryomo, I'm here to…take care of you guys. Fairy Tail, right?" She glanced over them with narrowed eyes, noting the mark on Gajeel's shoulder. "Yep. So, you can either die quietly or-" She was interrupted by a shout.

"Solid Script: Bind!" The little bookworm had been practicing, and it had paid off. The brown word transformed in midair into a clump of ropes and abruptly ensnared Ryomo. Said person shrieked and looked up with confusion. The last person she'd expected to attack had been the short one.

"Not bad, Shrimp," Gajeel grinned down at her and ruffled her blue locks. "Now we can see what this chick is 'ere for." Behind them, Pantherlily used his magic to change into his larger form and scooped the struggling Ryomo up.

"It's best to just tell us everything and to not put up a fight," Lily advised her. The girl looked up at him incredulously, but complied for two reasons. One, she could bide her time pretending to give these people her life story and escape, and two: she had a weak spot for animals and really couldn't protest.

Inside, they set the enemy on Levy's bed and gathered around. "Who are ya and what the hell do you want?" Gajeel, predictably, got straight to the point. He wasn't comfortable with knowing she would've attacked them in their down time to accomplish her goal. That was playing pretty dirty.

"I'm the leader of Shadow Claw, Ryomo Meroux, and I came here to get rid of your interference so that my guild can move on with our plans of capturing some idiot spirit mage. That's it, you aren't getting anything else outta me." Ryomo stuck out her chin in defiance, expecting angry shouts or a couple of insults, but instead was met with three pairs of dumb founded eyes.

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**A/N: And…Cliff hanger? XD I think yes. Is this the second time in a row…sorry? Well anywho, better move along to the replying, because I'm going to go watch Soul Eater like my life depends on it! By the way, are my fight scenes sucky? If they are, any tips to improve? **

**REVIEW REPLIES: **

**Miss Rune: Lol, you probably loathe me now for a cliff hanger AGAIN! Naraku does look like a chick. Totally, I agree. I mean, his hair is just…and his face! O_o**

**1fairytaillover: Ha, I'm glad you liked that part! ;)**

**Passwordrawr: Texting language has always been boss. And…NEVER! Lol, sorry, it's just something I do to motivate or make reviewers laugh. I apologize if it irritates you. O_O those are freaking good threats.**

**Kurisu313: I hate spiders…they suck. Killing them is terrifying, but not for the ass-kicking Gajeel! XD Once I tried to squish a spider on my ceiling with a Kleenex but it fell on my face. .**

**MsSlicingClaws: Ha, his mind reminds me of a lot of boys at my school. I hope you like how I portrayed Ryomo! Sorry Gajeel ate her weapons, though. (Lol, I am pretty young, but I think I'm a little more mature than a lot of 13 year olds I know.) Outta your comfort zone? XD I like the way you worded that. And I'm sorry it broke! ;_;**

**Nadeshiko Redfox: No! TAT Give Lucy back! *sends Natsu off to do some heroic rescuing stuff* I know right? Adorable little people playing cards. Poor Gajeel must've gone insane!**

**Review or I will tell Tono Rabbits you stole his banana. He likes bananas! XD **


	10. Mistake

**A/N: I apologize for the time it took me to get this chapter out to you all, but because the end of the school year is approaching, things are getting pretty crazy. Studying really sucks…Everyone's reviews and a couple of wonderful PM's have encouraged me greatly. Thank you!**

**Look up Fairy Tail Abridged by Pallettownchampions they're so hilarious and I can't stop quoting them…The third episode has to be the best! XD **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail…because…Hiro Mashima hasn't finished signing it over to me yet.**

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**Thesaurus**

**Chapter 10: Mistake**

The room was so silent after her revelation that Ryomo secretly checked to make sure the other occupants of the room were still alive. They were still breathing, and all were staring at her in disbelief. She figured that there was no better time than the present to launch into a half-true sob story. "I am Ryomo, the guild master's granddaughter," the girl was interrupted by one of Gajeel's snarky comments.

"So you aren't the actual master? It's like Laxus' teenage rebellion phase all over again…" From beside him, Levy barely held back a giggle.

"I don't know what that means," said the Shadow Claw mage dryly. "But the reason I attacked you was a result of direct orders from higher-ups. And after Granddad disappeared and my father tried to take over, everything has taken a turn for the worst. If I want to keep any of my friends safe I've got to carry out orders." Her face was turned towards the floor, and she was biting her lip nervously.

Levy sat crisscross and smiled warmly at her fellow blue-haired girl. "It looks like you've got a Fairy Tail complex…" Pantherlily peered at his partner and the two girls from his perch on the bed, contemplative. _'I don't know if I believe her,'_ he thought. _'It's weird how similar their guild's situation is to some of ours…' _

Ryomo trudged on with her story a little more confident now after seeing Levy's warm acceptance. "If they discover I've failed in getting rid of you there will be more people sent after you. Meeting Nyx and Helga in that alley back in Haregon was no coincidence."

Gajeel's iron-studded brow rose and his face looked almost grim. _'I know Lil' and I'll be fine but the shrimp...'_ Red eyes moved over to rest on the shrimp in question. He honestly was worried that he wouldn't be there for her when it would matter the most; when she was in danger.

"Nothing we can't handle!" Levy beamed at their captive, and Gajeel flinched. _'It's that forgiveness that has saved me, how can one pipsqueak have so much power inside?'_

Off in the distance, thunder rolled across the sky. A desperate Pantherlily found refuge by burrowing into Levy's arms and she gave him a sympathetic look. Before the other female in the room could ask what Lily was doing, the door opened and lightning ripped a jagged scar in the sky simultaneously.

Tono Rabbits sauntered in tiredly, holding several lanterns infused with his light magic. "I figure the power will go out–" he was cut off by a strong growl of thunder and the lamp on a nearby table abruptly winked out. "See?" He managed to still look upbeat, though the glow from his lanterns gave his face an eerie look and bounced off of his glasses.

The short man took a seat on the floor next to who he assumed was Levy, his lanterns clanking together. "Why are you tied up Levy?" The real Levy cleared her throat from across the semi-circle and Tono did a double take, "then who!?" His question went unanswered as a fist knocked into the back of his skull and sent him sliding to the floor.

Chaos erupted.

Because the light mage had been rendered unconscious, his lanterns began to dim at an alarmingly fast rate. The two mages from Shadow Claw who'd come for their guild master were forced to grab their blue haired comrade and run for it.

The problem? Two girls with blue hair in a dim room. They snatched both an unaware Levy and a shivering Pantherlily away in the near darkness, ignoring an angry Gajeel that couldn't seem to locate either of his partners.

_*Elsewhere*_

Zack Cloud dashed out of the town hall as fast as his legs could carry him. He smirked as soon as he and his load cleared the threshold and peeked over his shoulder to locate the third member of the escape party; Nyx.

"Hurry up!" He called back at the taller man. "I can't keep this storm up forever you know…" He raised the arm that wasn't securely wrapped around the waist of the target and conjured more wind and lessened the lightning.

Zack dropped his storm after he and Nyx traveled deep into the vast forest that surrounded Valletta. Hopefully they'd put enough distance between themselves and the Fairy Tail mages. The silver haired boy unceremoniously dropped his load onto the ground and flopped down himself.

"You're a lot lighter than I remember, you know?" He said tiredly. Even though his girlfriend wasn't all that heavy, he had run a long way. "Still I'd like a thank you," he smirked, rolled onto his side and was met with a satchel to the face.

While he whimpered in pain he caught a blue-haired person make a break for it. "Wait, Ryomo!" He called, struggling to stand. _'Damn, since when does she have a satchel?'_ The forgotten Nyx stopped next to him and tugged him to his feet.

"That wasn't your girlfriend, idiot," the dark-haired man's lips curved into a sadistic smile. "It's that runt from Fairy Tail." At the remembrance of the beating he'd received from Gajeel, Nyx's shadows grew agitated and swirled around him. "Let's go get her, shall we?"

Levy cursed her short legs as she ran away from her captors. Pantherlily flew next to her, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Neither knew why they'd been snatched by a couple of mages from Shadow Claw, (evident by the guild marks stamped proudly on their skin,) but they weren't going to stick around to find out.

"Gajeel has probably noticed we've been taken by now," Lily said calmly. "Thanks to your satchel, we've got a chance to find him before he comes after us." The girl blushed furiously at the mention of her book carrier, and shifted the strap so the bag wouldn't affect her stride.

"Pantherlily, are you alright now?" The storm had long since ceased, but the Exceed still looked uncomfortable. Something in his eyes was beginning to make Levy uneasy as well.

"Why is it so dark?" He'd been feeling apprehensive for a while now and not without reason. Something in the back of his mind was trying to remember why shadows were so dangerous…

"I'VE GOT YOU NOW FAIRY TAIL SCUM!"

Lily barely had time to change into his battle form before a blast of shadows nailed him in the chest and knocked him off balance. Beside him, Levy slid her stylus out of her satchel and glared at the shadow man.

"Wait Nyx, shouldn't we just use them as bait or something?!" Said the other enemy. His piercing green eyes analyzed the Fairy Tail mages standing before him and settled on Levy.

"You don't really have-" He made fumbling motions on his own chest and Levy's cheeks flamed. _'Why do people mock my chest EVERYWHERE? In battle of all places?!'_ She made a few motions and wrote 'guard' to block an oncoming barrage of Nyx's shadows before facing down the verbal assault.

"You shouldn't mention something like that in the midst of a fight!" She decided getting a slice of revenge for herself wouldn't hurt and sent 'fire' at the guy. Sadly, he barely batted an eye and dodged easily. _'He's fast!'_

"It's just my way of confirming you aren't Ryomo," he said. "My name is Zack Cloud, and since we nabbed the wrong chick, I guess we're stuck with you. You'll be decent bait." He spread his arms and a bolt of lightning barreled at her.

Pantherlily winced and fell back before he could land a blow on Nyx, turning back into his smaller form. _'The lightning…the thunder! Levy, I can't!' _ He watched helplessly as she stood her ground against the two men alone.

"Solid Script: Hole!" She yelled over the boom of thunder that followed one of Zack's attacks. She'd seen Lily fumble at his deepest fear and understood. She would have to do the best she was able to by herself! _'Gajeel I'm holding out for you, please come and get us.'_

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**A/N: I hope the action and fighting makes up for the wait. Please give me some tips on how to improve, and leave me a review. I'm trying to survive until summer, where I'll be able to write a lot more! This week is filled with track practice and THREE track meets, which means I'll be busy in the afternoons. I hate track…**

**Also, my parents loathe me and are being especially ruthless lately. I know I'm not perfect, but that doesn't mean they have to tell me how much better both of my sisters are than me. -_-'**

**Last but not least, I'm planning on creating a Deviant Art after I post this, and my user will be the same as my penname.**

**REVIEW REPLIES: **

**1fairytaillover: Ha, yes! He needs to get his mind out of the gutter. **

**Miss Rune: Sorry! ^_^' Cliffhangers…I can't help it sometimes! Thank you. I worry about my abilities on getting the moves and stuff across to readers sometimes. Naraku might secretly be a girl! His face gave me nightmares once. GAH. XD I know… "I would like take over the world…how about we kidnap Lucy Heartfilia to get it started?" **

**Kurisu313: Maybe not their ENTIRE plan. But yeah…pretty much. *sheepish grin* I can't help but make Levy surpass Gajeel **_**somehow. **_**She beat Ryomo with smarts…which, admittedly, is something Gajeel is kind of lacking in. I bet Lily would rock at poker! XD Your guess…I like that guess. But what's Juvia's skill might have to remain Juvia's skill.**

**MsSlicingClaws: XD I can tell you're really excited! Really? WOW AWESOME! I love your dedication and I'm glad I made you happy. I'm planning on making one tonight under the name 'ajmonkeygirl99'. Another chapter? I'll be waiting eagerly! ^_^ Thank you. Being a mature writer and thinker is something I strive for because if I'm going to write as a career, I'm going to need balance! **

**Nadeshiko Redfox: XD Jesus, stop stealing everything! (Oh, I just had a mental picture of Natsu rampaging through said city in search of Lucy…the hilarity!) That it was. I'm running out of threats…;_; DON'T SELL LEVY TO THE TRIMENS?! Do you want Gajeel to kick your butt? Oh I wish I was on a sugar high…ah food! Thank you! **

**Casterwill21: Thank you very much! ^_^**

**SarahSpaztastic: Here you go! :P**

**Review, or I will tell Pantherlily you've got a stash of kiwis hidden under your bed…beware for you'll have a ravenous exceed coming after you!**


	11. The Shrimp's Stand

**A/N: Thank goodness the school year is almost through! It'll be my birthday on the 25th of May, and I cannot wait to turn 14! :) As of this moment, I'm absolutely terrified. Here in Iowa, several tornadoes touched down and scared the living heck out of me, and tonight it may produce more severe weather! After taking my final exams this week and the next, I promise to update more!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, but if I did I'd be the happiest person on the planet. Can I have it for my birthday, Mashima?**

* * *

**Thesaurus**

**Chapter 11: The Shrimp's Stand**

Gajeel liked to think he wasn't the type to panic. Somebody as strong as him didn't need to something as weak as worry! But he was beginning to drop his 'cool guy' charade in favor of freaking out over the disappearance of his partners.

"What the hell, where are they!?" His angry exclamation awoke poor Tono, who winced as he rubbed the large bruise forming on the back of his skull. Ryomo sat silently, immediately understanding the situation. _'Those morons nabbed the wrong girl!'_ It was really too bad, as she had been eager to see Zack again after the long while they'd been apart.

"You know something, do ya?" Ryomo cursed under her breath as Gajeel loomed over her. He'd caught the slightly agitated and longing look that had crossed her face. The blue-haired girl didn't answer, struggling against her ropes. But just as she was about to declare that she wouldn't say anything if she wasn't untied, Gajeel undid her restraints.

"Yer gonna lead us to her, now," He roughly grabbed her wrist and stopped to sling a dazed Tono over his other shoulder. "I'm getting both of my partners back, and you two are gonna help me!" Upon stepping outside, the three realized the storm had stopped in their area, for the most part. Instead, a chaotic array of lightning was forking across the sky over a certain patch of woods.

"That's Zack!" Ryomo stared into the clouds, her brow furrowing. _'Surely Levy-san isn't thinking of taking both him AND Nyx on?' _Both of her teammates would be upset over snatching the wrong person, and would likely want to take it out on something.

"Who's Zack?" Tono interrupted her thoughts from over Gajeel's shoulder. "That wouldn't be the one who hammered their fist into the back of my head now, would it?" Ryomo winced guiltily as the former Fairy Tail mage pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"You know those mages?" Gajeel's face became stormy. "Good, you're going to help us kick their asses." His grip on her wrist tightened as he began to increase his pace, wanting to locate his friends. He found himself becoming increasingly concerned as shadows nearly overrode the lightning in the air. _'What's going on over there?'_

_*In the Forest*_

It was ironic, almost, how much Levy had come to dislike lightning. It had started with Laxus and the Fairy Tail war. Those bolts had almost taken away her guild mates, and had managed to deal out a lot of damage to Magnolia. Now it was this Silver-haired maniac and Nyx, who happened to scare her even more.

"Pantherlily, if you can, please go find Gajeel," she said calmly. "I'm going to hold them off for as long as I can." The Exceed shot her a worried glance from where he trembled on the ground, but nodded and took to the air.

"Oh no you don't you stupid cat, Shadow Barrage!" Nyx had an insane glint to his dark eyes as he sent a mass of darkness for the fleeing Exceed. Luckily, Levy was both determined and ready.

"I won't lose to you, and I won't allow you to hurt my Nakama!" She held her stylus and moved her arms as quickly as she could. "Solid Script: Light!" The beam penetrated the shadows and they dissolved into nothing. _'Phew! That's taken care of, but I need to strategize; who should I take out first?'_

Nyx seemed to be the weaker and less stable of the pair, but if she wasted too much magic on him, Levy wouldn't have enough strength left to stand against Zack. She was going to have to do as much damage as she was able until Gajeel came for her; she had no doubt that he would come.

"That was weak," Zack commented, watching as Pantherlily flew back towards Valletta. "You're going to be easy prey, shrimp." He warmed a sphere of lightning between his palms, concentrating on putting most of his magic into one blast.

"That's what you think! And don't call me shrimp, only he's allowed to call me that!" Blue bangs blew into her eyes as the atmosphere became denser with the aura of powerful magic. "I may look weak, but I am a Fairy Tail mage, and I will defeat you!"

Zack rolled his eyes and readied himself to launch the blast. "I don't usually fight little girls but oh, well." Everyone's hair stood on end as electricity hurtled towards Levy. _'Master Mavis, let me show them the strength of Fairy Tail!'_

"Solid Script: PROTECT!" An iridescent green shield appeared around her small frame, and the lightning reflected back, striking an unfortunate Nyx. Said shadow mage crumpled to the ground, dazed and no longer a threat, for now.

Zack flexed his fingers, surprised. Maybe she wasn't as weak as she looked. _'I don't like that look in her eyes. She looks furious and dead-set.'_ Indeed, Levy's hazel eyes were filled to the brim with determination. Her blue brows furrowed as she calculated her next move. _'Just try to make light of me, I'll become stronger to protect my guild, and Lucy, from you!'_

"Solid Script: INFERNO!" An unprepared Zack was met with a whirl of rampaging fire, and just managed to avoid the core. Now his left arm was burned, and he'd lost the feeling in his fingers. _'No! I need this hand to focus energy; she may have doomed us both…'_

Without being able to use his left hand to steady the flow of magic, Zack's lightning could go haywire and severely injure, or even kill, both of them. Across from the panicked boy, Levy's legs shook. _'T-That spell! It was so powerful…I am becoming stronger, Gajeel!'_

"I'll admit, girl. You're better than you look, and you've got spunk. But I have to take you back to my guild so we can use you as bait for Heartfilia." Zack really didn't want to, as Levy reminded him of Ryomo too much. But he couldn't ignore orders, lest he be punished.

"Final Strike: BRILLIANCE!" Just as he'd thought, he couldn't control his lightning, not without his left hand. The bolts rebounded all across the clearing, setting many of the trees on fire. Levy watched with wide eyes as one of the larger strikes barreled towards Zack, and it was then she moved.

"Solid Script: IRON!" The word formed right in front of her, almost as big as the one she'd created for Gajeel on Tenrou. As a conductor, the iron immediately attracted all of the lightning scattered across the area. The word was bombarded with electricity, and poor Levy was much too close to the super-charged word as it exploded; not able to take all of the power in.

Dead silence followed as Levy collapsed. Zack stared in disbelief, unable to comprehend. _'Did she just save me? But why…I'm the enemy!' _Seeing her blue hair resting on the ground gave him a flash of Ryomo's face, and he unconsciously took a step towards her.

"W-what have I done?" Zack choked, getting down on his knees to survey the girl. He should take her back to the base now, right? _'She just saved my life…these people aren't want the master has told us they are. They are good; we're the bad ones.'_

It was unfortunate for Zack that at that moment, Nyx snapped out of his daze. "So you've defeated the scum! Tell me, how easy was it?" He laughed eerily and stooped down to roughly sling Levy over a shoulder. "Ha! You're hardly injured; except for that burn. Damned weaklings are all Fairy Tail has to offer."

Zack looked up weakly, grimacing at the sadistic look on Nyx's face. "We'll be sure to torture the little brat once we get back, right Zack?" The lightning mage was pulled to his feet, and Nyx slapped him hard on the back. "Ryomo will be proud of how you dealt with the trash so quickly, huh?"

"No," Zack breathed. "No you're wrong, drop her! They aren't bad; she saved me! Everything was a lie, all Ryomo's father told us, lies!" He moved his wounded body to take Levy from his guild mate, but was harshly constrained by Nyx's shadows.

"What are you saying!? These bastards are the ones who took the first Master away from us; they'll pay for what they did!" The clearing became covered in shadows as Nyx deposited the unmoving Levy onto the hard ground. "Starting with this little snitch, they'll pay. All of them will pay."

Swirling shadows formed a pronged weapon in the crazed man's hands, and he positioned it over the solid script mage's back. _'All of them will pay, every last one.'_

_*Outside of the Forest*_

"You're telling me it was Nyx and your boyfriend that nabbed them?" Gajeel demanded as they ran. Ryomo only nodded dryly, struggling to keep up with a frantic dragon slayer's pace. Tono stared at behind them from Gajeel's shoulder, and took note of the change from open field to tightly-packed trees of the forest.

Then, suddenly, they were dive bombed by a black fur ball. "LILY!" Gajeel momentarily stopped running to drop Tono onto the ground and clutched his cat to his chest. "My cat," he crooned, "I bet ya fought all of em off without breaking a sweat!"

Pantherlily looked down, silent. "Levy's the one fighting them off," he said regretfully. "I couldn't overcome my fear of storms; one of them has lightning magic." Gajeel stared wide-eyed at his cat, and took off without another word.

'_Shit,'_ he cursed. _'Shrimp you've got to be alright. I'm coming!' _Gajeel felt an unfamiliar feeling spread through his chest; similar to the one he'd gotten on Tenrou, but stronger. It tore at his mind, and all of his nerves felt like they had electricity coursing through them. An overwhelming desire to protect what he cared about surfaced and surpassed anything he'd ever felt before.

Gajeel could smell the magic laced through the air as he approached a clearing up ahead. This was it. The iron dragon slayer charged through the last bush and bellowed as loud as he could, "LEVY!"

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**A/N: To make up for the wait, this chapter is nearly 2,000 words long! YAY! Also, I would like to wish those affected by the frightening tornado in Oklahoma luck. Please be well. How was the fighting scene? I hope it was alright.**

**I'm planning to watch some Hetalia after this. My favorite is China, who's yours?**

**REVIEW REPLIES:**

**MsSlicingClaws: I love those Abridged so much…XD Natsu: You left your wallet at the diner… Lucy: WHA? Natsu: I'm not giving it back! XD Really, you did? Thank you very much! They kind of are ridiculous, but I love them anyway! Oh that was me on this chapter, damn writer's block. I hope you keep writing, though!**

**Kurisu313: AH! Well here is your awaited chapter, and I apologize for the wait. I hope it lives up to your expectations…**

**Darkmyr-InuYashaFan: So do I! She's my favorite character. She's just the best bookworm there has ever been!**

**SakuraIchigoDark: Don't we all? XD I love Lily. I kind of feel mean for doing that, but hey! Anything to get Levy's adrenaline and determination pumping! :) **

**Nadeshiko Redfox: XD No! Don't sell poor Levy-chan! Gajeel would murder you… You're welcome! I live to make people laugh, and for someone as kind as you, it's honestly the least I can do. Here it is, sorry for the wait!**

**Miss Rune: Hide the kiwis, HIDE THEM UNDER YOUR BED AND HURRY! *holds Pantherlily back***

**Review, or I'm going to tell Tono Rabbits you've got bananas. Tono likes bananas…**


	12. Showdown

**A/N: Guess who's a year older? I'm a year older! Guess who sucks because she doesn't update more often? I SUCK AND I'M SO SORRY. ;_; I did fine on final exams and got good marks and all, but I won't bore you any longer. **

**Disclaimer: Ah ~ the wonderful Fairy Tail. I don't own it…:(**

* * *

**Thesaurus**

**Chapter 12: Showdown**

Levy found herself walking beside Jet and Droy, the evening air cool as it blew wispy strands of hair out of her face. They were chattering about some sort of destruction to the guild, and how they were going to enjoy paying Phantom Lord back for it.

Her hazel eyes widened, not able to believe it. _'This night! I don't want to relive it…' _Just as that thought crossed her mind, the atmosphere became tense and from above a dark figure launched itself at her person. _'G-Gajeel!' _

Red eyes aglow, he cackled insanely as he prepared to waste all three of them. Levy stumbled back as she watched him dart around with speed on par to Natsu's. Her face was pale, eyebrows furrowed, and her expression screamed the single word that found itself slipping from her lips: 'No…'

She was going to be beaten again, by the man she'd finally forgiven, and had eventually come to love. Yes, she could admit it to herself now. She loved him. The way he was rough on the outside, but definitely had his tender moments. He could put up a pretense of being tough and mean, but really, he was Gajeel; her Gajeel. The one that would always prove himself to her, and the one that had become a true member of Fairy Tail.

This was it. Levy refused to feel fear towards the mage that she now trusted with all of her heart. "GAJEEL!" The cry tore from her lips and the world around her froze. Everything shattered, and then there was a cry back, "LEVY!"

'_A dream…'_ She thought, relieved and content with the knowledge that she really did care for the dragon slayer. _'Now I know, and I can tell him!' _It seems her brain hadn't yet caught up with the dire situation she was in.

Nyx raised his shadow weapon over Levy's prone form, ready to strike, and was promptly shoved roughly out of the way by a furious Gajeel. Relieved red eyes met tired earth-toned ones and he clasped her hand firmly to pull her to her feet. He felt an odd feeling well up in his chest when he saw she was mostly unharmed.

"Had me scared for a moment there, Shrimp," he said awkwardly, not yet letting go of her smaller hand as she smiled up at him. He let himself scan the clearing, noting with pride and a little confusion the damaged areas. _'Did she do all of this?'_ Scorch marks were prominent throughout the grassy area, and the silver-haired guy that Ryomo was currently scolding had an arm that looked worse for wear. _'That's my bookworm.'_

The forgotten Tono cowered behind Gajeel as he noticed Nyx stagger to his feet. "Uh…guys? Hate to ruin the moment, but," he pointed to the problem. "We've still got to deal with him." Gajeel grinned like a maniac and tugged Lily off of his shoulder.

"Hold my cat," he told Levy, ruffling her hair. "I've got somebody's ass to kick." She nodded and sat on the ground, Pantherlily cradled in her arms. Lily smiled to himself as he watched his partner approach the enemy. Tono stood off to the side, still analyzing the situation. Something seemed off…

It soon became evident what that something was. As Gajeel charged the shadow man, the last threads holding onto Nyx's sanity snapped, the man not able to keep his grasp on reality with a dangerous foe approaching. While he had been nearly crazy before, losing his sanity allowed him to stop feeling all emotions and also granted him access to abundant power.

Electricity crackled through the air as Zack realized what was happening. He forced himself to stand, despite Ryomo's protests. "GET BACK!" He tried to stop Gajeel from running straight into danger, but to no avail. The lightning mage couldn't risk attacking Nyx, lest his burnt arm cause his magic to go haywire once again.

Gajeel heard the silver haired boy yell just as a swarm of shadows obscured everything from view. A frightening laugh boomed through the area, and the iron dragon slayer found himself unable to move; restricted by bindings of shadows. "You didn't let me finish off the little blue fairy…" Nyx's voice seemed to come from all around the clearing. "I guess I will get her later, maybe I'll even let you watch?"

That sentence pulled a growl from Gajeel's throat, his hands clenching as he imagined Levy being subject to even more pain. Nyx suddenly appeared in front of him and slammed a fist into the Fairy Tail mage's face.

The shadow man continued to wail on Gajeel, taking no mind to the fact that he was being a coward. What kind of victory is it to attack a restrained opponent? Said opponent was able to metallize himself and absorb the brunt of most of the attacks, which only served to infuriate the lunatic. Upon the realization that his attacks were useless, he resorted to a dirty trick. Sadly for him, it _did not_ go in his favor.

"GET THE GIRL!" Nyx's normally light eyes had been overrun by shadows, until eventually they were blackened completely. A swarm of thick shadows moved towards said female. The grin on his face sickened Gajeel, and the man's yell caused something in his iron heart to stir.

The shadows binding him in place snapped as he flexed his arms and charged the madman. _"I won't let you touch her."_ Gajeel used his 'roar of the iron dragon' to fend off the oncoming shadow attack. If Nyx hadn't been overrun by insanity and shadows, he probably would've done the sensible thing and surrendered immediately. The dragon slayer was an enraged beast of raw power and sheer will; driven by the instinctual urge to protect.

The shadow man's insane state of mind spelled out trouble for both sides, actually. For Nyx, it meant that he was unable to make clear decisions that would end up with him coming out alive and not mauled by the opponent. For Gajeel, it meant that he was fighting against a nearly insurmountable amount of power.

The iron mage was barely able to block an onslaught of deadly shadows with his scale-covered arms as it moved him back. Somewhere behind and to the right of him, Levy and Tono stood with Pantherlily, watching the battle with a growing sense of unease.

"I feel like Nyx has something dangerous up his sleeve," Levy muttered nervously. Tono nodded and used his index finger to shove his glasses up from his nose. Lily said nothing. _'Gajeel normally would've beaten someone like this guy already…What's really going on here?' _

While Tono had nodded and pretended to be listening to the blue-haired girl, he was actually lost in deep thought. _'Gajeel is having some real trouble out there. If you were to base the outcome of a battle off of the elements and how well they work against each other, he's definitely at a disadvantage. Nyx's shadows are going to cut into his metal or slip around it eventually.' _

The former Fairy Tail mage studied his worn hands, a frown gracing his normally cheery features. _'The best match against the dark and shadows is light. But I'm terrified…'_ Gajeel was thrown into a tree by a cheap sneak attack from behind and swayed on his feet. Levy's hands went to cover her mouth, her eyes fixated on the escalating battle in front of her.

'_Though I may not be an official member of Fairy Tail anymore, they're still my family.'_ Tono's black eyes landed on an angry Gajeel who had just wacked Nyx across the face with an iron beam. _'No matter big and strong, or smaller and yet still brave…They're Nakama. And as a part of the Fairy Tail family, it's my job to protect them.'_

Memories flooded the small man's mind. Laughing mages, a kind old master, and good happy times. Then there was disaster; when many of Fairy Tail's mages were lost to them for seven years. Tono had left during those times, and now he found himself regretting it immensely.

His right foot moved forward of its own accord, and the left foot followed. Tono swallowed his fear and increased his pace. Gajeel was blown right past him by a strong blast, and now it was Tono Rabbits against the crazy shadow man.

Shadows dove after Gajeel, free and ready to cause harm. Tono calmly closed his eyes and spread both hands out in front of him. "For my family…" Light flooded the clearing, forcing every person there to squeeze their eyes shut in an effort to avoid being blinded. Everything Tono had was put into one blast of hope and memories.

The magic energy swarmed Nyx, and invaded his mind. Tangled thoughts were sorted out and just as things were resolved, he fainted. (In a manly way, of course!) Tono continued to strain himself until every trace of black magic was gone, and then he collapsed. He had nothing left.

The last thing he saw was Levy's worried face, and the startled one of the iron dragon slayer.

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**A/N: ;_; Tono… How will things fare for everyone in the end? Why is Shadow Claw pining after poor Lucy? What's up with Nyx's screwy magic? I will try to answer as many questions as I can next chapter. (Please tell me what you thought of this in a review. I feel iffy about it…)**

**Thank you all for your patience in dealing with my irregular updates. It helps to see all of your reviews and wonderful encouragement! ^_^**

**REVIEW REPLIES:**

**Miss Rune: Your banana secret is safe with me! XD Thank you very much! :3**

**SakuraIchigoDark: I agree with you there. Nyx is a Debbie Downer. ._. I too, like Zack. I wanted to kind of hint at others turning for the better, kind of like Gajeel and Juvia did. Gajeel kind of beat him up…?**

**Kurisu313: I know right? I love when Levy uses that spell in fanfics. It's so awesome! I hope you're alright with this chapter…**

**Nadeshiko Redfox: XD Kickass Levy is, uh, kickass! Thank you! .3. I will give Tono your banana and thanks for the birthday wishes!**

**Redterra: :P Not intentional. Never played that game before.**

**MsSlicingClaws: Thanks bud! I think I've fallen into adoration with those two and their personalities. I thank you again for allowing me to use them! Oh, dear. I do hope you're able to escape that writer's block! It's the worst disease ever. (But, on the other hand, being lazy is awesome! XD)**

**V-ChanLSSJ: Thank you very much! :) I know right!? Levy, for sure, is not as weak as some think she is. I really wish she had more screen time as well. Again, thank you! Here is your update.**

**EarthMage11: ;_; OMG thank you so much! I love to hear that, and it really encourages me, so thank you 100 times over! I hope you like the rest of this story.**

**Pikaskye: Here's your chapter! XD Thanks for encouraging me to update all of this stuff. *high five* Ha, I know what you mean. Sometimes I see a pairing and then find it hard to focus on another one. I'm very pleased to see you like it!**

**Review, or I will tell Asuka you've got a Pantherlily plushie and then **_**she will come for you. ;) **_


	13. Light and Capture

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates lately. As those who follow or have read Reflections, you know that my computer deleted all of my fanfiction files. I'm extremely upset, but promise to keep writing. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail ~ **

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**Thesaurus**

**Chapter 13: Light and Capture**

Silence is an eerie thing. It hangs in the air like fog, and when broken, is either a relief, or devastation. Tono no longer breathed, no longer thought, no longer felt. He was silent. His body hit the grass and lay still.

His Nakama stared in shock at his unmoving figure, of this guy that they had known seven years before. The quiet was broken by Levy. "Tono!" Numb feet moved towards her former comrade, and the others followed behind her. Gajeel wanted to offer some sort of comfort to the bookworm, but making people feel better wasn't something he was good at.

Just as they reached Tono, his body began to do something odd. It dissolved into the air, a million particles of light scattering around the place where he had laid. _'That's right…'_ Levy thought sadly. _'He told me once that his entire body was made from his magic…and if he used all of his magic then…'_ A single tear slipped out of her eye, but she held the rest back. She told herself she wouldn't cry for something that Tono had done to ensure the safety of his Nakama. _'He's exactly what a Fairy Tail mage should be.'_

The glowing particles formed a symbol in the air, and shone like stars. Tono's last words put into this sign of family, togetherness, and memories. _The Fairy Tail guild mark. _Gajeel found himself lifting his hand and forming an 'L' and thinking back to the Fantasia parade. He actually remembered Tono had been there. Next to him, Levy and Lily copied his action.

The light dispersed, and Gajeel felt himself checking on Levy. Was she alright? Would the death of a friend shake her so badly that she'd never act the same? To his surprise, and relief, she was smiling softly, recalling the memories of a geeky banana lover in glasses; saying her good-bye.

_**.:Magnolia:.**_

Lucy sighed to herself as she carefully scanned her apartment for her partner. Lately, he'd been out and about, intent on finding and taking down a specific enemy: Shadow Claw. When he wasn't attempting to track a new lead, he was in her apartment or by her side, constantly on the watch.

It was a sweet gesture that honestly made Lucy's heart swell, but all it did was make her more nervous about being targeted. What did the dark guild want with her? Plus, she wasn't being allowed to do anything to help! She could take care of herself, she had 10 out of the 12 Zodiac keys, for goodness sakes.

While she was ranting to herself, Lucy failed to notice that there was someone else in the room. And that someone wasn't Natsu. The woman cackled under her breath and spread both of her hands. Lucy's window was shattered as plants and vines snaked into her room.

Taken by surprise, she didn't have time to react before she was ensnared. Thorns gave her little cuts everywhere as she struggled. The spirit mage went for her keys, but her wrist was pulled back with such force that it broke.

Lucy grit her teeth through the pain that arose and sought out her captor. Helga waddled out from behind the bathroom door, as oversized as ever. "I caught you! I _finally _caught you! That damn pink-haired brat has been thwarting me for days but now I've got you!" Unbeknownst to Lucy, Natsu had been sleeping in her room each night and watching over her carefully when she walked to the guild and back. Helga hadn't yet gotten the chance to attack but now…

"What do you want?" The celestial spirit mage willed Loke to come out of the Spirit World, but nothing happened. The enemy stepped over some of her plants, making her way over to the captive. An ugly sneer took over Helga's features as she grasped Lucy's chin with chubby fingers.

"You'll find out soon enough, Heartfilia!" The tangle of plant matter keeping Lucy from moving began to retreat out of the window, and she went with it. Helga followed after, still on a sort of high from actually capturing Lucy. She'd finally be able to look Nyx in the face and declare that she was stronger!

Lucy swiveled her head, it being the only unrestrained part of her body, and looked around the streets. They were all cleared of people, which confused her. Usually there were many people wandering about at this time of day.

Then in the distance, she was able to spot something that made her heart drop. Maybe two blocks over, dust was rising in the air as destruction below it occurred. Magical energy flew in all directions. "No way…Everyone…"

"They're all fighting for their lives against Shadow Claw's strongest!" Helga said gleefully. "Now if I was there, they'd _really_ be having issues, now wouldn't they?" Lucy ignored her and kept her gaze locked on what she could see of the battle.

'_It's just like Phantom. Because of me, they've got to fight again…'_ Her broken wrist throbbed dully as she tried to move it, but she continued to inch it towards her key ring. _'If I don't tug on her 'precious plants' hard enough, maybe she won't notice.'_ I won't let my Nakama fight by themselves! I'm going to join them!

Lucy's hand grasped the first key she came in contact with, and she only muttered a quick "I summon thee!" To release the spirit. A flexible beam of light danced in the air before landing on the ground, and Lucy waited for it to appear, trying to formulate a plan in her mind. _'First things first is to get me out of these restraints.'_

"Puu-puun!" Lucy's jaw dropped and she mentally smacked her forehead. _'Why now of all times do I pick PLUE!?'_ Said spirit fell on his face in front of Helga, who only stared at him. Lucy fumbled with her hand, desperately trying to grasp another key –

"IT'S SO ADORABLE," Helga squealed loudly, scooping up The Canis Minor. "Oh, how horrible it must be to have such an unsightly owner, you poor thing!" Lucy glared, wondering just what the woman meant by _'unsightly owner.'_

While the opposing female was distracted, Lucy carefully began to ease herself out of the bundle of vines. She was only able to wiggle her broken wrist out of the mess before Helga noticed and tightened her work. Lucy had to bite her tongue in order to prevent herself from screaming as the thorns dug deeper into her skin.

Plue stared at his owner and then shivered a little in Helga's arms. "Oh you poor thing, are you cold?" She trilled, "Let me warm you up." Before the Shadow Claw mage could move, Plue was attacking her with everything he had, (which wasn't much) flailing his little arms and kicking with his tiny legs.

Surprisingly, he actually landed a hit to Helga's pudgy nose. Now out of her grasp, he wobbled off down an adjacent alley, going to get help. Lucy watched him leave, relieved that he was no longer in Helga's grasp. The vines tightened even more as Helga's face scrunched up in fury, and Lucy' vision stared to blur. "Natsu…"

_**.:Plue:.**_

The spirit turned another corner, and the sounds of the fight grew louder. Plue wobbled a few more steps, and was met with a fellow spirit: Leo. The lion of the zodiac scooped him up, his eyes confused behind his glasses, before realizing that this meant Lucy was in danger.

He carefully put a tired Plue on his shoulder before turning and charging into the battle. Of course, Natsu was in the middle of everything. Loke snagged him by the scarf and began to run through the alley in which he'd found Plue.

"Hey, what're you doing?!" Natsu yelled, distressed over the fact that he hadn't been done brawling. "Hey, Loke –" Hey was cut off when they arrived not far from Lucy's house. As soon as Natsu caught sight of Lucy, he tore himself from Loke's grasp and charged Helga.

Leo quickly made his way to Lucy, his fists alight with Regulus. It was painstakingly precise work to cut through every individual vine without causing Lucy any more harm; cut one vine, and another would snag on Lucy as well. Plue dug his nose into one of the plants and got himself stuck.

Loke continued to work at freeing his key holder, not slowing down even a bit. As soon as they were met with the lion's power, the vines crumbled into dust. He worked faster, and his eye caught Lucy's key ring by chance. He reached for it and grabbed Lucy's left hand, as the right one looked badly bruised) and pressed Cancer's key into her palm. "Lucy, if you can hear me, you've got to summon Cancer now! I don't think I can get you out of there in time before Helga tries to tangle you up even more. Please Lucy!"

* * *

**A/N: I'll be at camp for all of next week, so I won't be able to write: my apologies. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, (I cried when Tono died…) and look forward to the next one. Yeah, not much of Gajeel or Levy, but trust me, they will be key players in what's coming next. **

**Please bear with me as I try to get over the fact that my computer deleted e**_**verything**_** pertaining to fanfiction. **

**Also, for those of you that didn't really notice, I changed my penname from ajmonkeygirl99 to something else. :) **

**REVIEW REPLIES: **

**Pikaskye: ^^; Sorry for the iffyness! I'm so jealous of your Happy doll! Though Pantherlily is my favorite exceed.**

**Nadeshiko Redfox: … ;_; I'm so sorry Tono…**

**Miss Rune: Thank you!**

**Kurisu313: :3 I love that word as well ~ *hug* Thank you!**

**NaraSuna4Ev: I will complete Thesaurus, and every other story of mine too! I love that too! ;) **

**Guest: Thank you! That means a ton to me. :) Thank you for reading this! **

**Review, or Helga will come creeping up on you and shoot some vines through your window!**


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